The All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, on Saturday set up a 7-man transition committee that will conduct elections for its Kogi State chapter.
This was made known by AFAN’s National Stakeholders Chairman, Dr. Tunde Arosanyin during a Stakeholders Meeting of the state chapter in Lokoja.
Arosanyin said the stakeholders in the state has held four different meetings in the past with the aim of reorganizing the state chapter to achieve its desire aim.
He said during the last meeting, they all agreed to set up the transition committee to conduct the state elections.
He said the transition committee, which were drawn from the three senatorial district of the state will be inaugurated in the next meeting, with a mandate to conduct election within the next three months.
He also said the nomination for the transition committee followed the guidelines of the association which allow them to work within a stipulated time of three months.
“Our constitution those not allow vacuum. Since the tenure of the last executive expired in June, there is need to set up a transition committee who while pilot the affairs of the Kogi chapter till the next election is conducted. However, none of the committee members are allowed to participate in the election. They have a three months mandate which can only be extended by another three months for them to conduct the election.”
Speakers from the various senatorial district aligned with the decision of the national body to set up the transition committee.
Mr. Adams Adejo, Chief Eleshon Bawonda and Mr. Matthew Shuaibu who spoke for the East, West and Central senatorial districts said the nomination for the transition committee members followed due process.
Adams said: “We have agreed on the seven members of the electoral committee comprising a chairman and six from the three senatorial zones.
“We believe in the decision of the national body to give room for a diligent conduct of elections.”
Mr. Bawonda said the state chapter was bedeviled by crises in the past, said the decision to conduct election tallies with the interest of the members.
He however urged those aggrieved in the past to allow peace to reign and close rank with other members to move the association forward.
Mr. Shuaibu stressed that the state chapter was lagging behind, said the decision of the national body to reorganized them was apt and timely.
He said with the reconciliation and stakeholders meeting held severally that culminated into the nomination of transition committee, the state chapter is on its way to achieve better deals.
End.
