The leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday finally bowed to pressure to convene a meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body, National Executive Committee (NEC).
Accordingly, the party slated its national caucus and NEC meetings for July 10 and 11, 2023.
This is coming after a series of attacks from national vice chairman (North West) of the party, Salihu Lukman, who had dragged the national chairman, Abdulahi Adamu, over his refusal to convene NEC meeting.
Announcing dates for the caucus and NEC meetings in a statement he issued yesterday, national secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore, stated: “Pursuant to article 12.5 and 12.3, of the all Progressives Congress constitution, the National Working Committee (NWC) hereby calls for meeting of national Caucus, National Executive Committee of our great party.
“Members of the National Caucus are by this invitation to take notice of the meeting in accordance with the article 12.5 of the All Progressives Congress.
“Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) are by this invitation to take notice of the meeting in accordance with article 12.3 of the All Progressives Congress.”
Lukman had filed a suit before a High Court in Abuja, praying the court to compel Adamu and Omisore to convene the NEC and National caucus meetings of the party.
This was after he had given the national chairman a seven-day ultimatum to convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council to deliberate on certain abnormalities he alleged was going on in the party.
Lukman’s latest attack on Adamu came penultimate Friday when he accused him of running the party like a garrison commander in army barrack without the inputs of members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
As a result, he said the governing party had become a mere shadow of its boisterous self, with the day-to-day administration of the national secretariat and key decisions involving party activities taken at the discretion of the national chairman.
In a statement he issued in Abuja titled, ‘Rebuilding the APC to Reform Nigerian Politics: Task Before President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ Lukman accused Adamu of treating NWC members like his appointees.
The former director general of the Progressive Governors Forum said, “The sad reality is that the APC as constituted today is only a shadow of itself, with a national chairman who is highly unaccountable and runs the affairs of the party more like a garrison commander.
“He relates to his colleagues in the NWC just like his appointees. In their name, he meets other leaders of the party and seeks to manipulate party decisions to suit personal vested interests that are only known to him.”
