The former speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari has insisted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must register the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Masari who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Ilorin, Kwara State declared that “ APC must be registered, there is no option B”.

Masari said, “As far as we are concerned we have legitimate right over the name. We have submitted our papers to INEC. You know if you look at the Electoral Act, it says you can send your proposal with three protem officers so that you can domain the name, of which we did.

 “In fact when you come out and make a public statement that I am going to send item A, I have produced it, it is going to be named KYK, nobody can lay claim to it.

“Since we made the first announcement, a public announcement, we addressed the nation through the media, so we have the domain right of the name of APC.

“ If INEC and PDP agents and others are trying to manipulate the whole thing, we will not accept that”.

On the controversy surrounding the acronym APC, the former speaker said, “ APC  is not in crisis, INEC is in crisis, PDP is in crisis, those who don’t want the merger are in crisis. We who are proponents of the merger are not in crisis”.     

He blamed the nation’s leadership for the security challenges facing the nation.

“Let us say it is unfortunate and very sad that people are losing lives and properties which shouldn’t be the case. And I think the problem of insecurity is a failure of leadership because it is part of the responsibilities of leaders to provide security for lives and properties. If you fail to do that you have failed, there is no excuse for failure because government has all the resources both human and material to tackle this problem.

“So, it is up to the government to say our strategy A is not working, so let us use strategy B. Even though those in authority have direct responsibility, looking at the problem, we also have a role to play to make sure there is peace and security”, he posited.