The budding crisis in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress(APC) took a new turn on Tuesday as two National Vice Chairmen of the party accused the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu of rendering the organ redundant.
A joint statement titled: “APC and the need for vigilance: urgent call for intervention” in Abuja on Tuesday by the National Vice Chairman, North West, Salihu Mohd Lukman, and National Vice Chairman, South West, Isaacs Kekemeke, claimed that all is not well with the 2-month old committee.
The duo called on elders and well-meaning party leaders and members to call the National Chairman to order before his actions will lead the party to incalculable damage.
The Vice-Chairmen accused the National Chairman of unilaterally taking decisions without consultation and approval of the committee as required by the party’s constitution.
They also alleged that Adamu invokes the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to blackmail NWC members into accepting his decisions.
The statement reads: “We are compelled to make this statement following serial postponement of the scheduled National Working Committee (NWC) meetings, twice within 48 hours. We are convinced beyond doubt that this is a deliberate attempt to foist a fait accompli on the NWC on fundamental issues that affect our great party.
“Within just two months in the lifespan of the new leadership of our great party, APC, led by His Excellency, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the NWC, organ of the party vested with the power of managing the day-to-day affairs, including implementing decisions of the National Executive Committee (NEC), as provided in Article 13.4 of the APC Constitution, has been rendered redundant.
“The National Chairman takes decisions unilaterally. When it suits him, he invokes the name of our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari to blackmail NWC members into accepting his decisions.
“Every effort to get the Chairman to respect the authority of the NWC as elected by March 26, 2022, APC National Convention is proving very difficult, if not impossible. Note that NEC’s donation of its powers was to NWC and not to the National Chairman or any individual.”
The two Vice-Chairmen said they are disturbed by the continued breach of the party’s constitution, hence have no option but to publicly appeal to leaders of the party to call the chairman to order immediately.
“The National Chairman must be properly reminded to recognize that the business of managing the day-to-day affairs of the party is the responsibility of the NWC as provided in provisions of the APC Constitution. He is free to consult any party leader(s). Such consultations will not represent decisions of the NWC or any organ of the party unless and until it is adopted by a properly constituted meeting of the NWC or organ in question according to the letters and spirit of the APC constitution.
“As a party, we have suffered enough judicial embarrassments arising from clearly avoidable leadership breach of our party’s constitution and spelled out rules.
“As members of the NWC who have the mandate of our members, we hereby serve notice to His Excellency, Abdullahi Adamu, and through him to all APC leaders that henceforth, any decision taken by the National Chairman or any other party functionary, which require the approval of the NWC as enshrined in the APC constitution, will be considered as illegitimate and an infringement on the jurisdictional scope of the NWC, unless otherwise confirmed as validly approved decisions of the NWC or any other legitimate organ of the party.
“No NWC member is elected at the March 26, 2022, National Convention to warm seats or offices in the National Secretariat. We, therefore, call on all our colleagues in the NWC to rise to these challenging situations by joining hands with us to save our great party and return it to its founding mission of moving Nigeria forward based on an honest, fair, just, and selfless commitment to party building. God bless our party!”
