Adamu, Omisore To Know Fate As NEC Meets July 11

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has slated its National Caucus (NC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings for July 10 and 11, 2023.

The two meetings are coming over a month after the inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shetimma.

The last NEC meeting of the party was held on April 22, 2022.

Notice to this effect was issued by the National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore in Abuja on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to the notice, the National Caucus meeting called by the National Working Committee (NWC) under Article 12.5 of the party’s constitution will hold on Monday, July 10, 2023, at 6 pm at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting is slated to hold on Tuesday the 11th of July, 2023 by 11 am prompt at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

The convention of the NEC meeting is under Article 25.2(i) of the party 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.