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The All Progressives Congress APC Presidential Campaign Council has postponed the kick-off of its campaigns earlier slated for Wednesday.

Director-General, of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong disclosed this in a statement Tuesday.

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According to him, the adjustment of the timetable and schedule of activities is in order to accommodate growing interests showing by various political tendencies in being party of the campaign council.

According to him, a new date for the kick-off would be announced soon.

The statement reada; “Recall that we had earlier earmarked a peace walk and prayers for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, to officially kick-off our campaigns for the 2023 Presidential Elections. We had also announced that the members of the Campaign Council report at the Campaign Headquarters on that day to collect their letters of appointments.

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“However, due to the expansion of the list to accommodate more stakeholders and interests within the APC family, we have decided to adjust the time-table of these activities in order to ensure everyone is on board before activities officially commence. Consequently, the activities earlier announced for the 28th of September will no longer hold

“As the ruling and most attractive party in Nigeria, we understand the sacrifices and understanding of our teeming members who are more than willing to volunteer themselves for this great task ahead. It also shows the enormous love that the party members have for our candidates

“A new date and time-table of events will be announced soon”.

Controversies stall inauguration of APC PCC members

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Fresh facts emerged, yesterday, to confirm that the controversies surrounding the recently released list of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), was responsible for the cancellation and rescheduling of the council’s inauguration.

Credible sources told Daily Sun that the inability to resolve the crisis of confidence between the leadership of the PCC, National Working Committee (NWC) on one side, and some members of the APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) was major reason for the postponement.

A member of the party’s leadership said the NWC had already disassociated itself from the proposed council inauguration citing the impunity of the PCC.

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The member, however, disclosed that the NWC would meet tomorrow to take a final decision both on the list and the possibility of participating in the inauguration billed for the same day.

Director, Media and Publicity for the APC PCC, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, had announced that the council inauguration earlier scheduled for yesterday, would be conducted tomorrow.

“The APC PCC wishes to inform all the 422 members nominated to serve in the various directorates to report at the campaign headquarters on Wednesday Sept. 28, 2022 at 8 a.m. Nominated members are expected to participate in the special prayer sessions marking the commencement of the 2023 presidential election campaigns,” Onanuga said.

Reports had claimed that the absence of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is out of the country with his running mate, Kashim Shettima, had necessitated the postponement of the inauguration.

But, an NWC member insisted it was the irreconcilable differences between the party’s leadership, the governors and PCC leadership that was responsible for the date shift.

“How can the PCC, in the first place, fix the distribution of letters to members that the party’s leadership has not even endorsed? I think they are going too far. They are still fighting the leadership and fighting the governors over the list, yet they want to go ahead with the inauguration.

“If, for instance, there is no controversy over the list, should the PCC even be the right authority to disburse the letters and conduct the inauguration, when it is clearly the responsibility of our national chairman. I think the PCC is simply having crisis of confidence. I can tell you that the party’s leadership is not officially aware of any inauguration be it Monday or Wednesday,” the member said, tactically cancelling the Wednesday’s proposed inauguration.

The source, noted that in the contrary, the NWC would meet tomorrow to take far-reaching decisions on several issues, especially the controversies surrounding the council list.

This is as the PCC Director, Media and Publicity, dismissed the reports of controversy around the list, especially the inclusion of former Enugu State governor, Chimaroke Nnamani.

“The PCC of APC hereby clarifies that the list of members of the campaign council released at the weekend is a partial list. It contains only the directors, deputy directors, secretaries of directorates and key stakeholders. The council also assures our esteemed governors that the secretariat of the council has not jettisoned the names submitted by them. Some of the nominees of our governors have emerged as part of the leadership, while others will soon emerge as members of the various directorates. No name is left out of the lists”, the statement quoted PCC secretary, James Faleke.

“The PCC will also want to clarify that the appearance of the name of Chimaroke Nnamani, a distinguished senator from Enugu State, was not a mistake. He is on the list in his own right as a supporter of our presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. Nnamani, who is still away in the United States, is a very close friend of Tinubu. He may not be on the field with us as a PDP senatorial candidate in Enugu East, but his presence is indicative that he may have chosen to give ‘moral support’ to his old-time friend and brother.

“In any case, the PCC cannot dictate the extent of Senator Nnamani’s support for his friend and brother. That is part of his fundamental human right which supersedes any provision in a party constitution. His position and allegiance to his party is self-defining and does not need any qualifying by us. Any explanation as to his status should be coming from the other party and not from us who are very proud to be associated with him.” Meanwhile, the presidency has refuted reports that President Muhammadu Buhari called for the removal of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo as the spokesperson for the presidential standard bearer of the APC campaign council.