Three political groups fight over APC identity

Confusion over the use of the acronym, APC, worsened on Thursday as a third group, the All Patriotic Citizens, which is seeking registration as a political party, laid claim to it. Two groups – the All Progresssives Congress and the African Peoples Congress – had earlier engaged in a war of words over the ownership of the acronym. The All Patriotic Citizens and the African Peoples Congress said they had submitted their registration applications to the Independent National Electoral Commission for registration as political parties. But the merger committee of the sponsors of the All Progresssives Congress – the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party and the All Progressive Grand Alliance – said there was no going back on the decision by the group to use the acronym. “We have informed the whole world of our decision to merge under the name All Progressive Congress with acronym, APC,”the Chairman of merger committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, said during a press conference in Abuja. “We are determined to pursue the process to its logical conclusion in the interest of our fatherland. The feeble attempt by any other entity to pretend to use the same acronym is an exercise in futility which must fail because it amounts to what in law is called passing off,” ”Ikimi added. But as the press conference went on, the National Director of Operation, All Patriotic Citizens, Mr. Oliver Ike, released a statement in which he said that the group had submitted its application for registration to INEC. “We are committed to the re-engineering of our political, economic and social foundations to eschew politics of bitterness and build a new, united and prosperous Nigeria under good democratic governance,” Ike stated. A copy of the application, which was made available to one of our correspondents, was dated March 8, 2013. INEC’s acknowledgement stamp was dated March 11, 2013. The political group’s logo includes a lantern. It has its national office at Plot 1385 Gurara Street, Off IBB Street, Abuja. The group said that its membership consisted of patriotic Nigerians that had genuine concern for the plight of Nigerian masses. Besides the All Patriotic Citizens, the African Peoples Congress on Thursday beat the merger parties’ APC to the submission of requirements for its registration. The party also unveiled its logo, manifesto and constitution with a call on Nigerians to reject “over-recycled forces that are totally spent and without equivocation.” The National Chairman of the African Peoples Congress, Chief Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, in his speech at the event, faulted all the allegations by the ACN, CPC, ANPP and APGA. He said, “Today, we have submitted the long list of requirements as prescribed by INEC and have completed the constitution demand on us for registration as a political party.”