The national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said his leadership will leverage on science and technology to deepen internal democracy in the party.
Ganduje spoke on Saturday in Abuja during a one-day validation conference on the draft handbook of The Progressive Institute.
The conference was aimed at putting strategies in place for the establishment of the APC Progressive Institute aimed at strengthening the process of decision-making through the deployment of research-driven, empirical and accountable approaches in APC’s operations.
Ganduje said, “The handbook was developed as part of our deliberate efforts to establish a world-class intellectual resource centre. We are determined to leverage on science and technology to deepen internal democracy while also promoting democracy, good governance, inclusiveness and equity in the country. Our leadership is conscious of its historical responsibility to promote these ideals.”
He said the Progressive Institute would play a dual role for the APC as it will function as a think tank, as well as an intellectual resource centre.
“As a think tank, it will undertake research, either on its own or under the directives of the party, focusing on policies and programmes of governments under the APC platform. This will enhance the capacity to effectively play its role. It will also undertake capacity building activities for our members,” he added.
While noting that the centre will carry out research on progressive ideals and their programmatic implications and also develop the curriculum for ideological training for members of the APC, including those in government, he said, “It is important to emphasize the determination of our party to raise the quality of political discourse in the country through very well defined ideological prisms.”
