The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, will hold its National Caucus and National Executive Committee, NEC, meetings next week.
The meeting was initially scheduled for July 18 and 19 following the removal of Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party.
Next week’s meeting is expected to deliberate on the next chairman of the party, and other positions that became vacant following the resignations of Adamu, Omisore, and Salihu Lukman the Deputy National Chairman North of the APC.
According to the Nation newspaper, a new chairman is expected to emerge during the NEC with Abdullahi Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State widely favoured for the position.
It was gathered from a highly placed source in the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party that the new dates were communicated to the party leadership by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday.
The National Caucus meeting is slated to hold at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Wednesday evening.
The National Executive Committee, NEC, which is the highest policy-making organ of the party, will meet the next day at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel also in Abuja.
The NWC had to postpone the two meetings following the voluntary resignation of the former National Chairman and Secretary, and Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore respectively from office last week Monday.
The two meetings were initially fixed for 18 and 19 of July 2023.
Acting National Chairman of the party, Senator Abubakar Kyari had on Monday, after the meeting of NWC told newsmen of the postponement of the meetings.
According to Kyari, “With this recent development in the change of leadership, I like to inform everybody here that the proposed national caucus meeting slated for Tuesday 18th July 2023 and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC slated for Wednesday 19th July 2023 has hereby been postponed. And this postponement will not be indefinite but a new date will be communicated shortly.”
The Nation, however, gathered on Friday that following the choice of the President, the NWC had fixed the two crucial meetings for August 2nd and 3rd.
“The NWC received a letter from Mr President on Wednesday intimating us that he is disposed to attending the two meetings on the 2nd and 3rd of August, 2023 and on the strength of the letter, we are equally set for the meetings,” our source hinted.
Ahead of the two meetings, NWC met on Thursday for about 5 hours to prepare the agenda for the two engagements, they also collectively looked into the account books of the party in line with the constitution of the party, to enable it to present the financial records at the party’s NEC meeting.
NWC at its meeting scrutinised the list of members of the five statutory committees to be set up by NEC at the recommendation of the NWC in line with Article 18 of the constitution.
Confirming the new dates, a source in the NWC said, “The stage is set for the caucus and NEC meetings. That was why our meeting on Thursday lasted for five hours. We were able to review the agenda proposal by the Secretariat for the two crucial engagements.
“We have our financial reports ready, the membership list of the five statutory committees recommended for approval at the NEC meeting.
“ The vacant positions of the National Chairman and Secretary are expected to be filled at the NEC meeting. Dr Umar Ganduje and Senator Ajibola Basiru have been pencilled down to fill the two positions at NEC.”
