Women’s advocate and former Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden has submitted her application to contest to be elected as a Member of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) of the All People’s Congress (APC) Party, during the upcoming National Delegates’ Conference.
In the APC, NAC is the second highest decision-making body of the APC. It is second in authority to only the National Delegates’ Conference. The NAC is empowered to take critical decisions on behalf of the APC such as during Emergency situations. It also advises and guides the Leadership of the party at all levels.
“I have previously sat as a non-voting observer member at the NAC (2019 to 2020) and during that brief time of service, the salient and pertinent Advises that I used to render to the NAC members ensured the party did not derail at critical points”. Dr. Blyden stated.
He went on saying: “However, my presence (and very serious and sober Advises that I used to give) during NAC Meetings resulted in orchestrated series of events then caused my eventual absence from NAC Meetings. The outcome was a party devoid of the kind of good advice that I used to give at that level and by extension, it became a party devoid of some needed good direction”.
Dr. Blyden said: “I am now offering myself to the APC to serve as one of the Members of NAC to be elected for a three-year tenure. If those who are patriotic APC Comrades of mine, see value in having me as an elected Member of NAC, I believe my presence in the NAC will greatly help the party’s stability – I have the Skills, the Talents and the Knowledge (historical and contemporary) to make the difference in guiding the All People’s Congress with good advice”.
She said her APC party membership and party card, during 21st Century contemporary times, was approved over 10 (ten) years ago. “On 1st January 2013, I was “re-approved” after application and approval on 29th November 2012. However, I have a much longer and well proven track record of advising the APC since as far back as the nineties. I have the credit of being the Comrade who so believed in the APC back then in the nineties that I spent thousands of dollars on building up a formidable APC presence globally when I was only 28 years of age”.
Dr. Blyden recalled that she has also served as the elected Secretary to the 9-Man Committee that was set up to look into why the APC lost the 2018 Presidential Elections. “My candid, frank and brutally honest Individual Report set a roadmap for the APC party. However, many of my recommendations as to the best way forward, are yet to be implemented by those in control of the APC”.
According to the new APC Constitution, there should be twelve (12) Members of the NAC to be elected by the Delegates’ Conference who will then be joined by other specific national and regional elected executives to make up the NAC of the APC.