Buni, who stated this on Tuesday at the ongoing Progressive Women Conference in Abuja, stated that the date is sacrosanct and that nothing will prevent the convention from taking place.
He, on the other hand, urged women in the party to turn out in force and run in the upcoming national convention.
He said: “The party under my stewardship conducted membership registration and revalidation exercise. We found it expedient to constitute a special committee on women and youth before the commencement of the exercise. The roles you played made the membership registration and revalidation a huge success.
“Today, APC parades over 41 million registered members, asserting our position as Africa’s largest political party and of course, Nigeria’s leading political party. With these, we are confident of winning the 2023 general election with huge success.
“I want to use this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your support to the party, before during, and after the exercise. I also look forward to your more support during the convention and indeed the general election.
“I’m proud to add that APC is the most women-friendly party in Nigeria. Let me also assure you that the party shall reciprocate this gesture by supporting women and youth in their political aspirations and realizing their political dreams.
“We look forward to having more women contesting in the forthcoming national convention of the party from February 26, 2022, and the general election. Now as we approach the convention and move closer to the next general election, I wish to remind you of the progressive roles in supporting progressive-minded leaders, aspiring for various offices for the betterment of our country.”
DNTWOK had earlier reported that the set date was picked by the APC governors during their meeting on Sunday and will be relayed to President Muhammadu Buhari before the end of the week.
The scheduled date, however, is subject to the final approval of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which is chaired by President Buhari.
At the convention, a new National Working Committee (NWC) will be chosen and inaugurated, bringing the caretaker committee’s tenure to an end.
It has been learned that the committee led by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni would form a zoning committee on Wednesday, ahead of the planned convention.
A party source disclosed that the zoning committee will be charged with zoning its national offices ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He claimed that if the chairperson is assigned to the North, it might be the clearest indicator that the South will provide the presidential candidate.
The convention has sparked debate inside the ruling party, with the director-general of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, resigning on Monday.
According to reports, some governors elected on the party’s platform asked for his resignation during a meeting held in Abuja on Sunday night.
Lukman has criticized the governing party for failing to pick a date for the national convention, accusing the Buni-led caretaker committee of wanting to prolong his stay and postponing the convention.
