The crisis rocking the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its National Working Committee (NWC) deepened, yesterday, as factional members threatened to reject any autocratic decision foisted on them by the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
In a letter written by the National Vice Chairman (North West), Salihu Lukman, titled “APC and the need for vigilance: Urgent call for intervention” the factional NWC members accused Adamu of usurping their responsibility in the day-to-day running of the party.
They also accused Adamu of rendering the NWC members elected two months ago redundant. The aggrieved members also accused Adamu of taking decisions unilaterally and blackmailing members with President Muhammadu Buhari’s name to accept his decisions even as he has refused to convene their regular weekly meetings.
“We are compelled to make this statement following the serial postponement of the scheduled 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 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 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 the 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.
“We therefore have no option but to make this public appeal to all APC leaders to intervene please urgently to call our National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu to order, immediately. The national chairman must be properly reminded to recognise 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 spelt out rules,” he said.
[Sun]
