Vice President Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the All Progressives Congress Legal Compliance Committee on Monday in Abuja, which is in charge of over 1,400 federal and state elective positions in the elections on February 26 and March 11.
In doing so, he took great pride in claiming that the APC was the only party founded on social democracy, social protection, and social mobility, especially for the poor.
“Ours is the only party anchored on social democracy, social protection, that is, social mobility for the poor, and justice for the wronged,” a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, read on Monday.
Osinbajo noted that the committee was crucial to the achievement of the party’s electoral ambitions in the 2023 elections both at the federal and state levels nationwide.
Therefore, he urged its members to be proactive and remain committed to the critical assignment before them.
“I am therefore glad that we have here an assembly of very committed members of the party, who, by their calling as lawyers, will be able to offer tremendous value for the party through the protection of its interests at every step of this electoral process.
“Those of you that have worked with us in the build-up to the 2015 and the 2019 general elections know that the proactive approach we adopted, especially through the ear-on-the-ground work of the Presidential Legal Team, has provided us a crucial head-start in tackling some of the challenges that we were confronted with,” he said.
He revealed that the responsibilities of the APC legal compliance committee, include ensuring that all the party’s internal structures and external engagements are conducted according to established operating procedures and the law.
This, he said, would shield the campaign of the party at all levels against breaches of rules, regulations, guidelines and laws by ensuring strict compliance thereof.
The committee will also develop compliance checklists and protocols, conduct training for campaign personnel and prepare compliance reports for the party, among others.
Earlier in his remarks, the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, said although the committee faces a huge task, he was confident of its success because of the VP support and that of other stakeholders.
The event was witnessed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN; the Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, and the APC National Legal Adviser who is the Coordinator of the Committee, Ahmad El-Marzuq.