President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday proceeded to his hometown, Daura, Katsina State a few hours after he returned from his official visit to the United States of America.

Buhari, who left Washington DC on Tuesday, arrived in Abuja on Thursday evening after a stopover in London, United Kingdom.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, had earlier in the day attributed the “technical stopover” to the fact that the big aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet is currently under repairs.

He said the President had to use a small plane, which could only fly limited hours at a stretch.

The President’s journey to Daura will enable him to participate in the All Progressives Congress ward congresses holding in 8,812 electoral wards across the country today.

The ward congress is expected to set the stage for local government congresses, which is expected to hold in the 774 local government areas of the 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.

One of our correspondents, who was at APC National Headquarters in Abuja on Friday, observed that the last batch of party officials appointed to conduct the exercise had left for their respective states of assignment.

The party’s National Organising Secretary, Mr Osita Izunaso, had while inaugurating the various congress committees, urged members to ensure a level- playing field for all candidates.

Izunaso, who read out the party’s guideline for the conduct of the congresses, appealed to members to adhere strictly to their given mandates.

According to him, the party’s National Working Committee set up the committees in line with powers conferred on it by APC constitution.

While reeling out the guidelines, Izunaso said, “Each state and the Federal Capital Territory shall have a committee of seven persons appointed by the National Working Committee who must be persons of proven integrity.”

He said the persons, comprising a chairman, secretary and five members, would be recruited from outside the state of their assignment to conduct the ward and local government congress exercise in each state.

He said the party guidelines also stipulated that the venue for all the elections shall be APC ward offices where they exist and that where there is none or the existing one for any reason, becomes unsuitable, the ward and local government congress committee “shall identify a convenient and conducive venue for the congress (provided it is not a private residence or office).”

He also pointed out that appeals arising from the ward congresses would be treated between May 7 and may 9, 2018, while appeals arising from local government congresses that are to hold on May 12, 2018, will be entertained from May 14 to May 16, 2018.

Punch