- Â Governors meet over convention
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has scheduled a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party for Thursday next week.
Coming after several postponements, the NEC meeting seen as a face-saving effort by the leadership of the ruling party which has been accused of failure to convene statutory meetings as stipulated in the APC’s constitution.
THISDAY gathered from a party source thursday that letters had been dispatched to all the NEC members.
While those in Abuja were given letters of invitation for the meeting, other NEC members in the states were being contacted through text messages.
In the letter signed by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, and National Secretary, Malam Mai-Mala Buni, the party said it was holding its NEC meeting on Thursday.
Some of the issues that would form the agenda for the meeting include, the consideration of results of state congresses, financial report, as well as date for convention.
Also to be tabled during the NEC meeting are proposed amendments in the party’s constitution.
As a prelude to the crucial event, APC governors met yesterday to articulate positions on various issues of concern in the party.
It was learnt that the meeting of the governors under the auspices of the Progressives Governors Forum was held at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.
Key stakeholders in APC are increasingly getting worried that if nothing is done to rally its members through convening of NEC meeting and national convention, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might gain upper hand ahead of the 2019.
Before Buhari’s return from his medical trip, APC governors had tried to interface with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
But the vice president referred them to President Buhari.
Although the party had given other reasons such as poor funding and logistic issues as the excuse for the continued delay in convening the convention, reliable sources within the leadership has confessed that the actual reason was the absence of President Buhari.
Article 25 (A)(i) of the APC constitution state: “That the National Convention of the party shall be held once in two years at a date, venue and time to be recommended by the National Working Committee (NWC) and approved by NEC subject to the giving of the statutory notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and at least 14 days notice given to members eligible to attend.â€
It is on record that APC last held a national convention on December 10, 2014 during which President Muhammadu Buhari emerged its presidential candidate.
Also, the last NEC meeting of the party in 2015. Going by its constitution, the ruling party ought to have held another convention before now.
However, it was learnt that the party had to jettison the idea after a failed bid to convince the Osinbajo to accept to pick a date for the NEC meeting on behalf of the ailing president.
