Eta, Bulama, other NWC members shun NEC meeting called to resolve APC internal crisis

The expanded intervention to ensure an all-inclusive contribution to finally saving the All Progressives Congress (APC) from avoidable death, through the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting slated for Thursday June 25, 2020, has been rebuffed by members of the National Working Committee (NWC) left behind by suspended national chairman Adams Oshiomhole.

Presidency confirmed on Wednesday that President Muhammadu Buhari, convinced that the law is on the side of Chief Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman who summoned the meeting, will attend.

It said governors and National Assembly leaders of the APC hopefully will be in attendance.

But the NWC, in a statement same day, turned down the invitation to attend, saying the meeting is illegal and unconstitutional, an attitude that many Nigerians have now described as affront and insult to the Leader of the party and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

In a four- paragraph statement jointly signed by an acclaimed acting national chairman Ntufam Hillard Etagbo Eta and acting national secretary Arc. Waziri Bulama, after an emergency NWC meeting that lasted them for about four hours, they said attending such a meeting will amount to embracing illegalities and turning a blind eye to the infractions on the Constitution of the party, whereas upholding the party constitution is on the frontburner of the meeting.

The NWC further said that it believed that the President was wringly advised.

The statement reads: “We wish to unequivocally state that members of the National Working Committee (NWC) believe that the President was offered wrong advice or blackmailed into lending his weighty office to the illegality of the National Executive Committee meeting purportedly convened by one Victor Giadom on 25th June, 2020.

“We hereby respectfully implore Mr. President to kindly avail himself with facts of the matter regarding the impasse presently experienced by the party so as to guide him in his assessment of the matter because we are sure that the President, if properly advised, would come to the conclusion that the meeting convened by Chief Victor Giadom bothers on illegality and criminality.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) regrets to turn down the invitation to the illegal and unconstitutional National Executive Committee (NEC) convened by Chief Victor Giadom.

“We believe that attending such a meeting will amount to embracing illegalities and turning a blind eye to the infractions on the Constitution of our great Party.”

Read the statement of rejection:

Generally, an Abuja source wrote Wednesday: “Two things happened in naija political space today. (𝟭) Tinubu spoke on APC crisis and Southwest APC/Tinubu supporters 𝙟𝙪𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙. (𝟮) Buhari received a ‘𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒆’ and Southwest APC/Tinubu supporters felt 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙.

This by the source summarised the extent to which the internal crisis of APC has divided the party thereby making what should be national party drift towards a regional or ethnicity based affair, thereby necessitating the NEC meeting is held and the presence of President Buhari is key.

Another source said, “These people cannot blackmail Buhari with anything. Since the President said he is convinced about which side the law favours, he should just go ahead and do the needful and that he has done by deciding to attend the NEC meeting. Everybody cannot be happy with his decision.

“Much as they are the cause of the problem although they can’t find solution, as Leader of the party and President of the country, he should go ahead and the NEC should dissolve this controversial NWC and appoint a caretaker committee that will steer the affair if the APC and embark on nationwide reconciliation that will bring those governors and members who have left back to the party.

“We are not unaware that Tinubu is behind this crisis trying to remove all Buhari’s loyalists across the country, despite the trust and respect the President has for him. No problem. That will be no more. Anybody that wants to leave should leave. As you leave there are a lot other people who want to partake in the Nigeria project and they will come. This is the time to really expose who really have the interest of Nigeria at heart and who merely is using Buhari’s integrity and popularity to advance his own course,” he spat fire.