APC schedules NEC meeting for September

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, will officially summon the long-awaited meetings of the National Caucus and National Executive Committee in September.

The development comes barely 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu gave his consent in a phone chat with the party leadership.

The planned gathering of the APC bigwigs and party stakeholders will be the first since the former Kano governor took over the leadership of the APC National Working Committee.

The PUNCH reported that the appointments of both Ganduje and the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, were ratified at the last NEC held at Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on August 3, 2023.

When contacted, the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, confirmed the report but noted that the NWC had not met to deliberate on the specific date in accordance with Article 12.3 of the APC Constitution.

He said, “We wrote to Mr President concerning the NEC and he suggested two days in September to choose from. That’s all. So, we will meet at the NWC and agree on the date.

“I am sure the outcome will be announced to the media after a decision has been taken.”

However, a close source at the party secretariat, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, told our reporter that the President told the party to choose between September 6 and 18 to hold the meeting.

“I heard the President asked the NWC to choose between September 6 and 18 to hold the NEC meeting. I also doubt if anything serious will be discussed at the NEC other than for the Ganduje-led NWC to give an account of their stewardship in the past one year in office.

“Constitutionally, the NWC ought to call for NEC meeting to be held at least once each quarter to review the power given to them.

“Unlike the last NWC where the party was embroiled in a leadership crisis with (Salihu) Lukman refusing to give the former chairman, (Abdullahi) Adamu, a breathing space, this current NWC has little or nothing to fight over,” the source said.

The crucial sessions of the two statutory organs of the party will be chaired by the President and also have Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President Muhammadu Buhari, past and present APC governors as well as former and current Senate Presidents, Speakers of House of Representatives of the party, the National Working Committee and other party stakeholders in attendance.

The Punch