APC National Caucus endorses NEC meeting, days after governors denied complaint over lack of it
In what looks like internal solution towards curbing impending disaster within its leadership before it explodes, the National Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) meeting, held and presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja Thursday night, has been described as a magic wand.
The National Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday night endorsed the proposed meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party slated for Friday.
The latest development was coming despite several denials by some members of the governing party that there was no issue as a result of failure of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to convene the NEC meeting that was said to have held last in August 2018 thereby allegedly usurping the powers of it.
The APC chairman, Oshiomhole, confirmed this while speaking with State House correspondents after the national caucus meeting of the party.
There had been growing tension between the leadership of the party and some members particularly state governors over delay in convening the NEC meeting.
”You know it’s a meeting of National Caucus. Basically, it is just to review the performance in the last election, current issues, next year’s budget, and disciplinary issues,” he said.
On his alleged failure to convene NEC meeting, Oshiohmole dismissed the assertion that he was under serious pressure to convene Friday’s NEC meeting.
”There is no pressure. NEC meeting was scheduled like two months ago. We are just waiting for the day to come. It was fixed two months ago. And it is taking place on Friday. Are you not aware of that?
”We have a NEC meeting to look at our financial statements for the previous year, budget for next year, issues that arose during and after the elections, and current outcomes of various cases that went to court; the one we won and the one we lost; going forward; issues in some states where we have disagreements and how to resolve them.
”I think that is it. And it went very well. And you can see the president sat all through the meeting,” he added.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, those at the meeting included Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, some APC governors, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, and members of the National Assembly as well as elders of the party.
It will be recalled that the Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had reportedly called on the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole to call for National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to resolve the party’s challenges now or resign.
That ultimate by the governors was said to be contained in a statement signed by the Director-General, APC Governors’ Forum, Mr Salihu Lukman in Abuja on Wednesday 13 November 2019 in which, the forum said that Oshiomhole should either respect the provision of the party constitution and convene a meeting to deliberate on the party’s challenges, being, according to the statement, that NEC is the organ of the party vested with the constitutional responsibility for responding for addressing challenges facing the party, which they stated to include disputable suspension of members among others.
The statement, which some members including Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun however denied claimed to be the making of the Forum’s DG and sponsors of such call, then posited for Oshiomhole to continue to withhold the call for the NEC to hold, he was usurping the powers of the NEC and that he must resign.
The DEFENDER, in reporting the denial of the governors, noted that they however did not deny the aspect that said the last time NEC meeting of the governing party was held was in August 2018 which could have pointed to substance of the call for the chairman’s resignation though denied.
