APC holds NEC meeting Thursday, as Akpanudoedehe stays away from committee

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that it was going ahead with the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting slated for Thursday.

The spokesperson of the party and the National Youth Leader of the party, Mr. Ismaeel Ahmed stated this while briefing journalists at the end of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) held at the party’s secretariat, yesterday, in Abuja.

The proposed emergency NEC meeting of the APC appeared to have hit the rock after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to recognise the leadership of the party led by Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, who signed the notice of the meeting.

“Please refer to your letter Ref. APC/NHDQ/INEC/019/022/32, dated 8th March, 2022. The Commission draws your attention to the fact that the notice for the meeting was not signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the CECPC contrary to the provision of Article 1.1.3 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Party Operations (2018).

“Furthermore, the APC is reminded of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 which requires ‘at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger’ and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective offices,” INEC had observed.

The decision of the party to go ahead with the NEC meeting means that Mai Mala Buni’s position as the Interim Caretaker Chairman would not be tampered with.

Although the National Secretary, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe was at the party’s national secretariat yesterday where he declared that the ruling party was no longer in crisis, he didn’t attend the caretaker committee meeting presided over by former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.

At the end of the caretaker committee meeting, Ahmed said the position of the National Chairman has been agreed by the party to be sold at N20 million.

He added that the form for the position of the National Secretary was agreed to be sold at the price of N10 million, while the form for the position of Deputy National Chairman (North and South) would be sold at the same N10 million.

The party spokesperson stressed that all other NWC positions will be sold at N5 million.

According to him, “All other NEC positions, the deputy positions that are not members of NWC, the forms are going to be sold for N1 million. All positions at zonal level, with the exception of the Zonal Vice Chairman, who is also a member of the NEC, would be sold at N500, 000.”

The spokesperson noted that women and physically challenged would get their forms at 50 per cent of the prescribed fee.

Ahmed stated: “We just finished one of our regular committee meetings. As you are all aware, I told you last Friday that I would be interfacing with you for the next couple of days.

“The Caretaker committee has mandated me to say that the sale of forms has begun for all the offices, both zonal and national. Like I said on Friday, the zonal congresses will now be moved to 26th of March on Saturday. So, there will be no separate zonal Congress apart from the national convention. All will happen on the same day.

“Convention is still 26th of March, we are working towards it and we are looking forward to it. We are going to be having our NEC meeting on Thursday, 17th of March.”

He said the party was expecting between 3,000 and 4,000 delegates at the convention.

While fielding questions from journalists, Ahmed was reminded that the secretary of the party was at the secretariat earlier but left before the commencement of the meeting. He said he wasn’t aware that the secretary came.

He said, “Walahi, I don’t know. I’m not in control of his itinerary. He doesn’t speak to me before he comes to the office, he doesn’t speak to me when he’s leaving. I’m not even aware he was in the office. I personally thought he had traveled.”

Ahmed stressed that Bello travelled but he’s back, and would be a the secretariat today.