Issues as APC finally holds NEC after 18 months

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Barring any last-minute change of plan, the much-anticipated All Progressives Congress (APC) National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings will finally and possibly be held on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

According to the national leadership of the ruling party in a notice signed by the National Secretary, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, all arrangements have been concluded, invitations, in accordance with Article 12.5 of the APC Constitution, have also been issued to the statutory members, just as the necessary publications have also been made to adequately notify all the relevant stakeholders.

Although, political watchers may as well take these arrangements and assurances of readiness for the meetings with a pinch of salt, considering the usual last-minute cancellation of similar preparations made on September 11 and 12 last year, for Caucus and NEC, respectively, there are strong indications that this week’s meetings will go as planned.

This week’s Caucus and NEC meetings could not have come at a better time than now that the failure of the national leadership to organise them for almost two years now has been sending negative signals out. The last of such meetings was held on August 3, 2023.

Curiously, the delay in holding another one has created some anxieties and uncertainties over the security of  tenure of the members of the national leadership since the confirmation of the meetings, especially the speculations of an imminent shake-up in the leadership of the party.

Interestingly, the recent appointments of almost all the party’s national officers, the NWC members, as board chairmen of federal parastatals and agencies, has again fuelled the speculation that it could be “a farewell settlement to them.”

But beyond the suppositions over the future of the national officers, the delay in holding the meetings have apparently shown that there is no difference between the ruling party and the opposition political parties whose crisis-riddled state could not enable them to organise Caucus and NEC meetings.

Expectedly, the failure of the ruling party’s national leadership to organise a NEC meeting has not only dominated political discourse but has also raised apprehension and generated concerns to the point that some party’s chieftains became very critical in attacking the party and accusing it of derailment from the manifestos of its founding fathers.

Only recently, APC chieftains and former governors on the platform of the ruling party were merciless in hauling abuses, debasing the party’s leadership and its government for becoming the opposite of the expectations of many Nigerians with former Kaduna governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, lampooning his party over failed expectations.

He had claimed that; “no party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show, or it is a zero-man show. You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders.”

Pundits note that the harsh criticisms were absolutely in order judging by the APC’s Constitution, specifically Article 25(B)(i&ii) which stipulated the length of time it should take the national leadership to organise meetings of the party’s organs.

The relevant section that particularly referenced meetings for APC NEC stipulates that; “the National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-thirds of the members of the NEC provided that not less than 14 days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.”

Again, subsection ii of the party’s Constitution further explained that; “Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution, the NWC may summon an emergency NEC meeting at any time, provided that at least seven days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.”

Perhaps, jolted by the attacks and apparent flagrant violation of its Constitution for not organising NEC for almost 18 months, the leadership of the party, in conjunction with the presidency, may have deemed it necessary to organise the meetings this week, maybe to ceremoniously put on record that it held it or to seriously want to chart a new path for the party.

However, before the party’s leadership finally resolved to fix the meetings this week, its National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, had in a chat with Daily Sun, dismissed the claims that the party was on the wrong side of law in failing to organise the meetings, especially NEC.

Basiru, who was visibly angry by the claim, noted that it was very wrong, rating the functionality of the party with the delay in organising NEC meetings.

He argued that the best parameter to rate the progression and success of a political party like the APC would have been electoral victories like the enviable ones it recorded in the various off-cycle governorship elections since after the 2023 general elections, not such mundane issues like its inability to organise meetings of certain organs of the party.

“It was a falsehood for El-Rufai to claim that NEC has not met for two years. But let us even assume that we have not held NEC for two years, does that translate to describing our party the way he did? What happened in the last NEC meeting was that it delegated its powers and functions to the NWC pending the time it will meet again.

“And I will tell you that the logistics of convening NEC is actually very huge, financially consuming, and demanding in terms of time. So, that was why NEC delegated its power to the NWC last time to take decisions on its behalf pending the time it will meet,” Basiru said.

He further noted that “when you have about nine organs of the party, ward, zonal, unit, local government, state structures, and functional NWC does it speak of lack of understanding for somebody to claim that the party is not functioning because there is no NEC meeting?

“In between that period of last NEC, we have had off-season governorship elections in which we won more than 85 per cent. The primary job of a political party is not to hold meetings but to a leadership recruitment mechanism and to sell its activities and programmes so that when elections are held it gets the acceptance of the people.

“So far, our political party has recorded high performance in the polls conducted since the last general elections which speaks creditably well about the leadership of the party, the workings and mechanisms of the party. We are focused on winning the governorship election in Anambra, retaining power in Ekiti, and sending out the marauders in Osun State and we will not want anybody to distract us from facing our objectives as a political party.

“In any case, I want to think that Mallam El-Rufai has been busy having meetings with some internally displaced politicians which did not allow him to be abreast with the development in the party he has founded,” Basiru added.

As the party finally holds its long-awaited Caucus and NEC meetings, beyond celebrating its continued dominance in power, issues that would form the agenda might be the persistent skirmishes and crises still ravaging some states chapters of the party.

Another issue to dominate the agenda could possibly be taking a cursory appraisal of the actualisation of the promises given by both the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and President Tinubu during the party’s last NEC and Caucus meetings.

While the party’s chiefs promised to superintendent over the party with integrity, strictly adhering to internal democracy and deliberately adopting policies to engage in wider consultations to make the party functional all year round, President Tinubu promised to lead a united party that would be a reference point in the country.

In his inaugural remarks after his swearing-in, Ganduje had promised to conduct a more credible, and scientifically proven membership register from the wards to the state levels, warning that going forward, he would uphold internal democracy and provide a level playing ground for aspirants to elective positions during party primaries.

“We will deploy technology in the registration of our members. The idea where the current figure of the membership of the party is over 40 million but could not reflect on the result of the last presidential election, where we got only eight million votes, means that it can no longer be business as usual. We are going to carry out a scientific registration of members of our great party. We are going to embark on registration from wards to local government and to the state.

“Let me assure you that as National Chairman, I will lead with integrity, transparency, and a deep sense of responsibility. We are going to work tirelessly for a cohesive APC and a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria. It will be challenging but with dedication, I have confidence that we can achieve a prosperous APC.

“Under my watch, internal democracy will be strictly adhered to with a deliberate policy to engage in wider consultations and make party functional throughout the year. More reforms will be carried out in the party in alignment with the current political landscape,” Ganduje had promised.

On his side, President Tinubu had told members that; “the party is in your hands, let us redirect this party. Let us show the rest of the country that we are united for a purpose and if we veer from the path, posterity will not forgive us.”

By way of taking stock during the meeting, NEC members may appraise and review certain decisions NWC took on its behalf such as filling previous vacancies in the national leadership, like the Deputy National Chairman (North), the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, and the National Legal Adviser.

Others include the administrative innovation of decentralising the inauguration of the national campaign council for governorship elections, and the reenergising of the party to the zonal level through the appointment of six governors across the geopolitical zones to coordinate party activities.

The actualisation of the promise to reduce post-electoral conflict, resulting in litigation, to the barest minimum, the inauguration of APC Progressive Institute and the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to officially launch a nationwide digital membership registration exercise with a consultant, would also form part of the items in the agenda.

As the coast is finally cleared for the meeting, what may be certain is the usual conspicuous absence of certain chieftains of the ruling party who have deliberately avoided almost all the important meetings of the highest organs of the party.

Notable among them include former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, perceived to still be having a rough relationship with his former political godfather, President Tinubu, and perhaps the former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan among many others.