National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, may have secured the support of chairmen of state chapters ahead of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party rescheduled for next week.
Two meetings of the statutory organs of the ruling party: the national caucus and NEC earlier scheduled for Monday and Tuesday were postponed because of the absence of President Bola Tinubu, who was away in Guinea Bissau for a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS).
Tinubu is billed for another international engagement in Kenya on Tuesday.
The postponed meeting, however, turned out to be a blessing for the national chairman of the party, who is facing a cold war from certain members of his National Working Committee (NWC).
The subject of discord is the audited report of the APC account which some members of his NWC have refused to sign.
According to party sources, the national officers refused to sign the audited report as they insisted that, at the last NWC meeting, they were not privy to the document and needed to study the document before they would append their signatures.
By provisions of the APC Constitution, the NEC is statutorily empowered to appoint external auditor to look into the account of the NWC.
Article 13.3 A(xiv,xv,xvi) reads in part: “The National Executive Committee of the party shall be the principal executive body of the party and shall perform the following functions:
“xiv: Approve the national budget of the Party;
“Receive quarterly financial report from the National Working Committee on income and expenditure of the party;
“Appoint external auditor.”
Adamu, at his meeting with the state chairmen before it dissolved into a closed-door session, said he called them, among other reasons, to give them the financial status of the party ahead of the meeting of national caucus and NEC.
He also told the state chairmen led by the chairman of Borno State chapter, Bukar Dalori that his last week engagement with the governors was fruitful.
Adamu said: “We are happy to be able to sit with you to discuss development taking place in our great party. We have had one meeting, I think since election, with you. Since the election and the president’s inauguration, we have held one meeting with the chief executives of states towards the issue of discipline and their attitudes towards the party.
“We are very happy with them. And it will give room or cause to believe that we are going to have a very flourishing relationship with the new leadership of the governors forum.
“It is, therefore, good to say that they are going to improve on what their predecessors did in office in ensuring good relationships with the party.
“We thought having the meeting was not enough. As important as it is, it may not give us the desired mix for interactions and for interaction with the leadership. We thought that having a meeting with those of you, as chairmen, who bear the brunt. Of course, the governors are the heads of our party in the state. But you run the party on a daily basis.
“And a good blend of understanding between you and the governors and members of the NWC will go more, than the ordinary way, in enhancing the kind of leadership that we want to have for the party. Not only that, there will be good understanding if you do know which way we are going at the national level. So that we can all hope and go in the same direction with you.
“At the same time, if we noticed there is a problem in the state as we normally do, or if you noticed that there is a problem that’s happening or in the national level, it is your duty for you to share with us whether whatever the problems is, whether it is on your end or our end, so that together, we can face the issue of solution to what we might be facing as a political party. That cannot happen unless we have this kind of getting together and having meeting from time to time.
“Sometimes, earlier this month I must let us know that we had a very fruitful meeting with the state governors. The essence of the meeting was to brief them on the fact that we are going to have our first National Executive Committee (NEC) since the election of 2023. And it will be the first our president, and commander in chief of the Armed Forces, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be attending with his Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“We thought it necessary to sit with chiefs executives of states and the leadership of our states for our party in various states. We had a very fruitful and one of the longest meeting with the governors. And what we find most encouraging is their attitudes.”
Speaking with journalists after the meeting with Senator Adamu, Chairman of Cross State chapter and acting Secretary of the Forum of State Chairmen, Alphonsus Oga described the session as fruitful.
He said the chairmen were determined to cooperate with the national chairman for peace to reign in the ruling party.
Oga dismissed speculations that the national caucus and NEC meetings were aborted because of rancour among the national officers.
“There’s nothing like that if you have been following the itinerary of Mr. President, he’s presently not in the country and he’s expected to proceed for another journey and that the NWC informed us and that was what necessitated the postponement and let me let you know, this is a moment where rumours and blackmail can thrive, but as a party, there’s only one APC, and we came again in solidarity to say we are strongly behind our national chairman and the NWC.”
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