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Benin city, the Edo
state capital, will be the venue for the national convention of the
Action Congress of Nigeria. The party in a statement issued on
Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed said the
Ward Congress will hold on December 2nd; Local Government Congress on
December 6th; State Congress on December 11th and the National
Convention on December 16th.

While the Ward
Congresses will take place at the party’s ward offices, Local
Government Area Congresses will be held at the party’s
secretariat/office at the Local Government Area and the State
Congresses will be held at the party headquarters in the states. The
National Convention, where the party’s presidential candidate will be
elected, will hold at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.

Giving further
details of the Congresses and Convention, the party said “the ward
congress shall elect 20 ward officers,1 ex-officio member to the ward
executive,1 ex-officio to the local government executive, 8 delegates
made up of 5 delegates to the Local Government Area Congress holding on
the 6th of December 2010 and 3 delegates for the State Congress holding
on the 11th of December 2010.

“The local
government congress shall elect 21 local government officers,1
ex-officio to represent the local government at the state executive
committee and 2 delegates one of which must be a woman for the National
Convention.

“The state congress
shall elect 23 officers of the party that will constitute the state
working committee in compliance with section 7.11 of the party
constitution (while) the National Convention shall elect the National
Officers of the party and the 6 ex-officio members for the six
geo-political zones (each representing a geo-political zone); Consider
and approve recommendations for any amendment to the party
constitution; Receive, consider and take decisions on reports from the
National Executive Committee and deliberate, consider and approve any
other matters brought before it.”

No hanky panky

It also listed the
fees payable, for the collection of nomination forms, by all members
contesting for party offices, with those contesting ward chairmanship
to pay N500 each; Other ward offices N300; local government chairman
N5000; Other offices N2,500; state chairman N25,000; Other offices
N5,000; national chairman N100,000 and other offices N25,000. ACN said
the ward registers will serve as the voters register while the special
registration documents issued to the members at the just concluded
registration exercise will serve as voters card.

“Any aspirant identified as having a hand in any irregularity or
violence at any level may be suspended or expelled and shall forfeit
his/her right to participate in elections of the party or for any
elective office,” Mr Mohammed said, adding that “the National
Convention Committee is the final appeal authority in all election
disputes.”