From Yusuf Alli and Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
Members of the dissolved National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were last night consulting stakeholders and legal minds on the next step to take.
They are pressing forward with their opinion that NEC meeting was illegal.
Also, they alleged that the appointment of a Caretaker Committee and the choice of Governor Mai Mala Buni as Chairman were alien to the party’s constitution apart from being awkward.
It was alleged that Buni was central to the opposition against the suspended National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
The NWC members said a former Deputy National Secretary of the party, Victor Giadom, had no authority to convene a NEC meeting.
The statement was signed by the hitherto Acting National Chairman Hilliard Eta and National Secretary, Waziri Bulama.
The statement said: “The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wishes to reiterate its earlier position that Chief Victor Giadom has no authority whatsoever to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great Party.
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“Article 25(B) of the Constitution of the APC is explicit that only the National Chairman or the National Working Committee (NWC) is given the prerogative of summoning meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party either for statutory quarterly meetings or for emergency meetings.
“The same provision of the Constitution makes it compulsory for a notice of a minimum of 14 days in respect of statutory quarterly meetings and 7 days in respect of emergency meetings.
“We note that Chief Victor Giadom had convened and conducted a virtual meeting purportedly to be a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our Party wherein certain far reaching resolutions were purportedly reached.
“While the National Working Committee is studying the unfolding drama, it will be consulting with stakeholders and a team of lawyers on the next line of action.
“Therefore, all members of our great Party and concerned Nigerians are urged to remain calm pending the outcome of the consultations.
The 17 members (out of 20) of the NWC who are part of this press statement, are Ntufam Hilliard Etagbo Eta (NVC SS), Hon. Inuwa Abdulkadir (NVC NW), Pastor Bankole Oluwajana (NVS SW), Alh. Ahmed Suleiman Wambai (NVC NC), Hon. Emma Eneukwu (NVC SE), Hon. Adamu Fanda (NT), Hon. Ibrahim Masari (NWS), Hon. Paul Chujwuma (NA), Emma Ibediro Esq (NOS), Hon. Sadiq Abubakar (NYL), Haj. Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma (NWL), Alhaji Tajudeen Bello, Misbahu Lawan Didi (Ntl Spel Leader), Wogu Boms Esq (DNS), Babatunde Ogala (NLA), Hon. Lanre Isa-Onilu (NPS) and Arc. Waziri Bulama (NS).
A member of the disbanded NWC said: “There are moral , legal and political implications of this illegal NEC meeting.
“We believe all the processes for the convocation of NEC meeting have not been followed. And the APC Constitution has no provision for fiat.
“There are grounds to contest the holding of the meeting in court as to whether those whop summoned the meeting did so in line with the APC Constitution. It is so sad that we have not lived up to our much-vaunted democratic credentials.
“There are mechanisms for resolving issues and the illegal NEC meeting did not take cognizance of these measures. NWC members were legally elected, they ought to be allowed to serve their tenure.
“On the choice of Mai Mala Bunu as Chairman of the so-called Caretaker Committee, the APC Constitution says you cannot be elected into a public office and hold party position. But since he was one of the anti-Oshiomhole governors, it was convenient to appoint him to suit an agenda.
“In short, an interested party in the APC crisis is leading the Caretaker Committee. This is not a progressive spirit we are preaching in APC.”
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