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The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), yesterday
shifted its national convention by one day, apparently to allow
Goodluck Jonathan use the Eagles Square, the venue of the convention,
to launch his presidential bid. The two-day convention, which was fixed
for today and tomorrow, has now been shifted twice.

The chairman of the National Convention Planning
Committee (NCPC), Ibrahim Geidam, announced at a news conference
attended by members of the two factions of the party in Abuja
yesterday, that the event would now hold tomorrow September 18 and
Sunday September 19.

Mr Geidam, who is also the Yobe State governor,
denied insinuations that the convention was shifted because of Mr
Jonathan’s declaration. He said September 17 has been set aside for
members’ arrival from different parts of the country.

“All are to note that the national convention of our
great party will hold on the 18th and 19th September 2010 as scheduled.
Accreditation will start on Saturday 18th September at Agura Hotel
while Eagle Square remains the venue of the convention,” the governor
said. Mr Geidam, also announced the reconciliation of the two warring
factions of the party, adding that their members would work together
for a common goal. He announced the lifting of the suspension placed by
the Edwin Ume-Ezeoke leadership on six members of the faction, which,
last month, organized a parallel national executive committee meeting
during which it dissolved the former national working committee. The
decisions, he said followed a letter the party received from the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday morning,
saying it does not recognize any of the factions.

Not recognised

The INEC said in the letter dated September 15, and
signed by the commission’s secretary, Abdullahi Kaugama, that it would
only relate with the convention committee until a new executive council
is elected at the convention. The commission, according to him, also
said the Transition Management Committee (TMC) set up by the party
three weeks ago is not recognized by either party’s constitution or the
Electoral Act.

The chairman said the national electoral body also
included a list of the 20-member convention committee which it
recognizes and which should organize the event. According to him, those
whose names were not on the lists despite their appointments by the
opposing faction, had been taken care of and had been given various
assignments.

“Against this backdrop and after due consultations
with stakeholders in the party, I am happy to announce that we have
resolved the issues at stake and we will work together in the overall
interest of our party, the ANPP,” Mr Geidam said.

“All factions, sides and groups within the party
stand dissolved and all of us will now work towards a common goal of
repositioning and refocusing our great party to the path of victory.

“Those who are said to have been suspended, their
suspension is hereby declared null and void. They are part and parcel
of us and they are going to participate in all the affairs of the ANPP.
And the faction which went to court when the crisis began has agreed to
withdraw the case.”

No decision on chairman

Mr Geidam said the party is yet to decide which of
the six geopolitical zones that would produce the national chairman,
following the disagreement that trailed the zoning formula adopted by
the national caucus last month.

Among those who attended the press conference are
governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff; former deputy governor of
Bauchi State, Garba Gadi; former deputy governor of Jigawa State,
Ibrhaim Hassan Hadeija; senators, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Kabiru Gaya, Sani
Ahmad and Maiji Maina Lawan. Others are the chairman of the splinter
group, Mohammed A. Mohammed, John Odigie-Oyegun, George Muoghalu,
Vitalis Ajumbe and chairman of the Transition Management Committee,
Abdulrahman Adamu.

They had reportedly held a meeting somewhere in the
Asokoro District of Abuja before moving to the national secretariat of
the party for the press conference.

Meanwhile, a member of the party, Bashir Tofa, will
tomorrow formally declare his intention to contest the presidential
election in 2011. Mr Tofa, who was the flag bearer of the defunct
National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1993, will make the declaration
at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja.

He becomes the second aspirant on the platform of the ANPP, after Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau.