Tinubu at APC NEC, asks Ganduje to reconcile aggrieved members

•As NEC passes vote of confidence in his administration, Ganduje

•Buhari, el-Rufai, Fayemi absent

•Party replies el-Rufai

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu attended the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he charged the national leadership of the party under Dr Umar Ganduje to redouble efforts aimed at reconciling aggrieved members of the party.

The president, who equally secured a vote of confidence from the NEC members, directed the Ganduje-led National Working Committee not to relent in its reconciliatory moves.

Speaking at the 13th NEC of the party, President Tinubu, who incidentally is the leader of the party, appealed to aggrieved members to remain calm.

He said:”The NWC is doing a good job and I am happy with them. In all the various states, let us set up reconciliatory committees to liaise with these aggrieved leaders. I am appealing to them, please be calm.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, Ganduje, had assured the gathering of top chieftains of the party that his leadership has ” embarked on massive reconciliation of aggrieved party members, and this move is gradually yielding desired positive results for the party.

“Through dialogue, we have initiated high level discussions among party leaders and other stakeholders with a view to resolving lingering differences between our members.”

Checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that certain chieftains of the party who are statutory members of NEC did not attend the meeting.

The list included former President Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi,

Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and Dr Kayode Fayemi, former governors of Rivers, Kaduna and Ekiti states, respectively.

But addressing journalists after the NEC meeting, the National Public Secretary of the the party, Felix Morka, said their absence was a non issue as he maintained that the attendance was massive.

He said:”As far as I know, 1 have never known a caucus meeting of our party or NEC meeting of our party to be attended a hundred percent by all of members of NEC or caucus and I am not sure that there is really any political party where you have 100 percent attendance for such meetings.”

He said the party holds its NEC at the convenience of the president whose itinerary is crowded.

“Rest assured that every member of Caucus and NEC was invited. The list of members today was comprehensive. As a matter of fact, we enlarged the list for the meeting today. We had more members invited than we did previously,” he stated.

Responding to allegation raised by former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir-el-Rufai, in his interview with Arise TV, where he said that the party organs have been rendered comatose, Morka described the former governor’s assessment as informed by his personal grievance.

He said: “All organs of the party are working. What the former governor of Kaduna State said, there is a difference between party men and people who speak because they have a grievance.

Grievance-driven commentaries are not to be taken seriously.

It was clear from all the comments that the former governor has an axe to grind

“But for today’s meeting I was prepared to respond to the former governor and to suggest to him that some of his recent engagements are unnecessary for someone who occupies the position that he has occupied in this country. Men who are respected must also continue to justify the respect they get. It is not a good idea that once you are dissatisfied, especially when it comes to personal experiences, then you want to visit your personal grievance on the system of a political party.

“el-Rufai is just one person. Yes, he is a former minister and former governor, he has been up there but at the end of the day he is just one person in the party scheme. He is a highly respected citizen but my advice and counsel to him is that he needs to speak in a manner that is befitting of his status. Otherwise, if he continues to engage, people have a right to reply”.

The NEC of the party at the end of the meeting passed a vote of confidence in PresidentTinubu and Dr Ganduje.

For the APC National Chairman, the NEC ratified zoning of the office to the North West zone. Ganduje is from Kano State.

At the meeting, Imo State governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma, who moved the motion for confidence vote in Tinubu, said the party and Nigerians were impressed so far by the successes so far achieved in turning around economy and restoring security.

The motion was seconded by former Edo State governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole.

An elated Tinubu thanked members of the party for their support for his administration.

He said:”I have heard your various remarks on how we have strengthened the security of our country and food security in the country.

“I am grateful to all Nigerians for the electoral successes that we have from one state to another and I am also happy for the various people joining us in the National Assembly.

“On the economy, I am happy the food prices are going down particularly during this Ramadan period.

“I thank the leadership of our party.

Let the NEC find a way to celebrate our progressive ideals. And I promise you our governors and Nigerians that we will sustain these progressive changes.

“I am very happy and I promise not to let any of you down.

Morka also said the vote of confidence by NEC on the Tinubu administration was premised on his achievements.

“Under this administration, we are now exporting goods and services more than we are importing and that is good for the economy.

“A lot of really creative reforms that have encouraged investors since we now have a better economic environment.

“We now see improvement in food productivity which has now caused prices to fall.

“Members expressed a lot of satisfaction in the progress we are making under the leadership of this President.

“The security situation is also improving and members of the party paid tribute to our men and women in uniform who work hard everyday.

As a result of all these improvements in all the sectors, members doubled down on the vote of confidence passed by national caucus on Tuesday night.

“The NEC also did same today as they agreed that the country is breaking new grounds under the present administration.”

Earlier, Ganduje, while presenting his scorecards, enumerated among his achieve-ments, reconciliation drive, the E-membership register and the establishment of the Progressives Institute, which he described as an independent, self-sustaining global standard institute, which will serve as the official Think-Tank and intellectual Resource Centre of the party.