Opposition party officials have said internal divisions in the ruling All Progressives Congress could be exposed during the party’s upcoming ward congresses and national convention, the parties said.

The officials made the remarks as the APC prepares for a series of party congresses and its national convention scheduled for later this year. The APC has published a timetable fixing dates for these events.

The APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said in an interview with Sunday PUNCH that preparations for the ward congresses and national convention were in full swing.

He said the processes would be “free, fair, credible, and peaceful” and would reflect internal democracy and grassroots involvement.

In its updated timetable, the APC fixed February 18 for the ward congresses and March 27 to March 28 for the national convention.

Ibrahim said the party, its leaders, and stakeholders were determined to organise exercises that would showcase “the beauty of democracy” and “rancour-free” outcomes.

He said the processes would strengthen and enhance party unity and that other parties would have reasons to learn from the APC’s organisation and coordination.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ini Ememobong, said the APC’s ward congresses and convention processes could expose internal divisions within the ruling party.

Ememobong said the APC had members who he described as lacking genuine commitment, and he said the events could reveal “deep internal divisions” and challenges within the party.

The National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Oladipo Johnson, said balancing competing interests during the upcoming processes would be a challenge for the APC.

Johnson said that accommodating numerous interests and allocating key positions could pose difficulties for the party during its ward congresses and convention activities