APC holds caucus meeting in July

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress has summoned meetings of its National Caucus and the long-awaited National Executive Committee will hold on July 10 and 11 respectively.

The meetings, which are expected to serve as avenues to resolve the lingering crisis rocking the party, may also be the deciding factor to determine the fate of the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, both of who have been accused of flouting the party constitution.

The crucial sessions of the two statutory organs of the party will be chaired by President Bola Tinubu, and also have Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President Muhammadu Buhari, past and present APC governors as well as former and current Senate president, Speakers of House of Representatives of the party, the National Working Committee and other party stakeholders in attendance.

The press release, however, noted that both meetings will take place in two separate venues.

The statement partly read, “The national caucus meeting is scheduled to hold on Monday, July 10 by 6.00 pm prompt. Venue is Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. All Members of the National Caucus are by this invitation to take notice of the meeting in accordance with article 12.5 of the APC Constitution.

“The NEC meeting, however, is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, July 11 at 11.00 am prompt at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja. All Members of the National Executive Committee are by this invitation to take notice of the meeting in accordance with article 12.3 of the APC Constitution.”

The development is coming three weeks after the North-West National Vice Chairman of APC, Mallam Salihu Lukman, raised an alarm that Adamu was running the party like an army barrack with him as the garrison commander.

Earlier, the Kaduna politician had dragged both Adamu and Omisore, for failing to account for sales of nomination forms to political candidates, not calling for a NEC meeting for over a year and breach of the party’s constitution.

Aside from repeatedly accusing the party chairman of running a one-man show, Lukman also averred that he reduced the NWC members to a mere rubber stamp to validate decisions he singlehandedly take.

According to him, Adamu’s refusal to call for the NEC meeting was a deliberate move to sabotage the system by allowing relevant party organs that would have checkmated him to remain in a dormant state.

In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja through his counsel, Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi, APC was listed as the first defendant while Adamu, Omisore, and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC were joined as second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

As the internal wrangling gradually degenerated into noticeable cracks within the party, a committee was urgently set up at the instance of concerned NWC members.

To save the party from further embarrassment, the committee begged Lukman to withdraw his lawsuit with a pledge that all his grievances would be addressed including calling for the crucial NEC meeting.

The in-fighting in the ruling party has also drawn a reaction from a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, who noted that Lukman cannot be blamed for taking on Adamu in the manner he did.

He said, “Many people may be wondering why Lukman is doing that. It was the same thing he was fighting even when he was then the DG of the Progressive Governors’ Forum. Those were the things he fought against. If you can recall, I think he fought former APC national chairmen such as (John) Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole. So if he fails to address those flaws or anomalies he is fighting now that he is a member of NWC, something must be wrong with him.

“Now that he is wearing the shoes, he can’t afford to be silent. Elections are over and you have not called for a meeting to, at least, brief NEC on what you have done since power was given to you, especially in the areas of how much money was made, how much was spent, and all that.”

Continuing, Nabena explained that it was the prerogative of Adamu or Omisore to call the meeting of NEC, warning that failure to take such action could lead to their sanction.

“As I told you earlier, the NEC meeting ought to have been called to look at the elections, the primaries, where we got it right and what we have done wrong. For the national chairman not to have called for that meeting is a very big crime against the party’s constitution.

“With such an action, even the NWC can suspend him and call the NEC meeting. At that same NEC meeting, the decision to remove him can be taken. This is because as it stands, the NEC is the highest organ of the party,” he exclusively told our correspondent.