Forum of APC chairmen want life membership of party’s NEC

State chairmen of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), have demanded automatic and lifetime membership of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC).

The Forum of APC Chairmen also demand inclusion in other key decision-making organs of the party, arguing that their experience and grassroots reach make them vital to internal democracy.

In a memorandum submitted to the APC Constitution Amendment Committee during its first public hearing in Calabar, on Tuesday, the forum argued that state chairmen should retain NEC seats even after leaving office to continue contributing to party growth.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Bayelsa State APC Chairman, Dr Dennis Otiotio, stated that the forum equally wants defined constitutional roles for deputy chairmen.

“It is our considered opinion that as more people continue to join our great party, state chairmen should be made statutory members of the NEC,” Otiotio said.

“They should also remain part of it even after leaving office because of the experience they would have acquired.”

The forum also proposed that new entrants into the APC should spend more than three months as ordinary members before being eligible to contest any party office.

It recommended that in states with several former governors, the oldest among them should be recognised as the party leader, rather than allowing a newly defected sitting governor to automatically assume the role.