As APC National Caucus, NEC Meetings Begin Today…

The ruling All Progressives Congress has scheduled the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings of the party for 10th and 11th of July, respectively. Adedayo Akinwale takes a look at some issues that might likely be discussed at the fora.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has scheduled the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings of the party for July 10 and 11 respectively.

The National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore in a notice of meetings issued last week said the National caucus meeting would take place at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, while the NEC meeting would take place at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The notice of the national caucus meeting was issued pursuant to Article 12.5 of APC constitution while that of NEC was issued in pursuant of 25.2(I) of the party’s constitution.

Those expected at the national caucus meeting are: the National Chairman, Deputy National Chairmen (North and South), National Secretary, National Legal Adviser, National Treasurer, National Organising Committee, National Women Leader, National Youth Leader, National Leader of Persons with Disabilities.

Others are: Past and Present Presidents and Vice Presidents who are members of the party, Senate President, Present and Past Speakers of the House of Representatives, among others.

Also, those expected at the NEC meeting are members of the NWC, Past and Present Presidents and Vice Presidents who are members of the party, Senate President, Present and Past Speakers of the House of Representatives, among others.

Some of the issues expected to be discussed are the allegations of high handedness against Adamu and Omisore, among others.

THISDAY recalled that prior to the presidential primary of the ruling party, the NEC had on April 20, 2022 transferred power to the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) until July, 2022 for 90 days.

However, following the expiration of the three months of grace, the leadership of the party refused to convene NEC meeting, leaving the NWC as the only organ of the party.

Nevertheless, this did not go down well with the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, who had since embarked on a solo-fight against the leadership of the party, while demanding that the affairs of the party be run as stipulated in the constitution of the party.

Trouble started when Lukman, in April, 2023 accused Adamu and Omisore of turning other members of the NWC  to rubber stamps. He alleged that the duo take all decisions bordering on managing the finances of the party without the knowledge of other NWC members.

The National Vice Chairman in a statement said the National Advisory Council (NAC) of the party had not been inaugurated more than a year after the Adamu-led NWC assumed office.

He stressed that the constitution of the party under Article 13.2B(i) stipulates that, “the National Secretary shall, not later than one month after an elective convention, convene the meeting of the National Advisory Council”; but added that one year after assuming office, Omisore has never proposed any action towards the inauguration of NAC.

The party chieftain didn’t stop at that as he also during a recent interview on national television, accused Omisore of mismanaging Osun State governorship election campaign funds.

“Part of the issue with that is that I’m aware the party has given some campaign funds to Osun which was handled by the National Secretary but more importantly, he’s not accounting to anybody and you have to activate the process of accountability,” he had said.

Following the allegation, Omisore threatened to sue Lukman. The party scribe in a letter written by his attorney dated March 15, 2023 demanded for a retraction, apology, and payment of N500 million damages for the libelous statement against his person.

Lukman, who will not go down without a fight, said Omisore cannot bully him into silence. Rather, he insisted that Omisore should render account of the money provided for the prosecution of the Osun governorship election.

In another letter dated April 5, 2023, Lukman gave one week notice to Adamu to convene NEC meeting wherein all the issues bordering on the management of smooth transition between the then outgoing government of former  President Muhammadu Buhari and the then incoming government of President Bola Tinubu could be considered.

Expectedly, after the expiration of the one-week ultimatum, Lukman dragged the Adamu-led NWC  before an Abuja High Court over his refusal to convene NEC and national caucus meetings of the party.

To this end, on May 3, 2023, Adamu  summoned an emergency meeting of the NWC following a lawsuit instituted by Lukman against him and the National Secretary over their refusal to convene meetings of relevant party organs.

The crisis, however, got messier when the National Legal Adviser, Ahmad  El- Marzuq, recommended the expulsion of Lukman, in his letter to Adamu, for dragging the party to court.

Reacting to the expulsion threat, Lukman in a letter by his lawyers, Legal Resource Consortium (LRC), said the NWC of the party lacks the power to suspend him.

According to him: “There is nowhere in the APC Constitution where the NWC is given the power to discipline any member of the party. I have already forwarded the memo to my legal team for further legal action.”

Interestingly, at the end of the emergency meeting of the NWC in May, 2023, the leadership of the party was able to reach a truce. While Lukman was prevailed upon to withdraw the suit against Adamu, the meeting also agreed that all the issues raised by Lukman would be addressed.

Nevertheless, after realising that Adamu was not ready to convene the NEC meeting, Lukman in another letter in June, 2023, described the party’s chairman as a conservative and reactionary politician, who, if left unchecked, may lead APC to committing political suicide.

He tasked all party leaders and members to wake up to this reality and stop Adamu from achieving his mission of self destroying the APC.

Lukman, in an open to APC leaders noted that the National Secretary of the party lacks capacity to win election in Osun State and yet  pretends to command political influence.

He alleged that billions of Naira had been expended based on discretionary decisions of the Chairman and Secretary, saying till date, no member of the NWC could claim to know how much was in all the accounts of the party outside Adamu and Omisore and perhaps the National Treasurer and National Financial Secretary.

The party chieftain stressed that Osun and Ekiti elections cost the party billions of Naira without any attempt to review the experiences. He noted that the ruling party faced an embarrassing situation whereby in Osun during the just concluded 2023 elections it was roundly defeated.

Lukman said: “We lost all the three Senatorial seats, lost all the seats for the House of Representatives and lost all the House of Assembly seats. And this is the state where the National Secretary, Senator Omisore, comes from. And he sits pretending to command political influence when he cannot win any election.

“If we are truly aspiring to be a progressive party, leadership must be earned. Senator Omisore must give account of his leadership in Osun State in every respect. Osun is the only state in the country today where the party has no single elected representative. Maybe we have Councilors, who by this trend would be voted out in the next election.

“He knows exactly what he is doing by not convening the meetings of organs of the party. By every definition, Senator Adamu’s politics is conservative and reactionary.

‘‘Unfortunately, however, based on all the unfolding realities, he is a conservative and reactionary politician, who, if left unchecked, can pull the party in the direction of committing political suicide. All party leaders and members must wake up to this reality and stop Senator Adamu from achieving his mission of self destroying the APC.”

Meanwhile, a party source who pleaded anonymity said initially, the refusal of Adamu to convene the meeting of NEC was because his fate as the chairman of the party might be decided there.

Be that as it may, if the allegations against Adamu and Omisore are discussed in detail, it would require a miracle for both the chairman and the secretary to retain their seats.