Despite the directive from the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to the national leadership of the party to tinker with the presidential national campaign council list he submitted this week, a fresh controversy is trailing the list.

Asiwaju had, during his courtesy visit to the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC), urged the party’s leadership to panel beat the framework for the campaign council list, stressing that the campaign report he submit was not a red card.

According to him, “on behalf of myself, the team of the presidential campaign council, let me commend the DG and Secretary of the campaign that have worked very hard to bring this report about the organisation structure. If they (report) need panel beating, you do so. It is not a red card that we brought. We are bent on bringing brighter hope and confidence to the country.” However, during the first harmonisation meeting held by the three-man committee of the party, comprising the National Legal Adviser, the National Organising Secretary and Deputy Women Leader, the party’s leadership realised to their surprise that the council, populated by the camp of the presidential candidate, has relegated the names of the proposed national officers to be included in the list to what was termed “just inconsequential membership positions.” The source told Saturday Sun that the NWC had specifically requested not just the inclusion of certain national officers but assigning specific directorate responsibilities to them.

Explaining the point of disagreement, our source said: “You are aware that the NWC set up a three man committee headed by the National Legal Adviser, the National Organising Secretary and Deputy Women Leader to meet with the DG of the campaign council and come up with a list that will be acceptable to both parties. That committee had their first meeting on Thursday but they could not agree on anything.”

The source further explained: “It appeared that the Tinubu camp is bent on populating the whole directorate with their people, offering just pittance to the party’s leadership. I don’t actually think that the list will constitute problems again after the visit and Asiwaju’s acceptance for the NWC to tinker with it, but it appeared that the Tinubu camp is insistent on sticking with their list.

“There have been concerns over the audacity of the camp of the presidential candidate concerning the list. During the NWC meeting, the National Chairman had informed members about the request for inclusion of the following persons into the council.

“They are the two Deputy National Chairmen (North and South), National Secretary, National Organizing Secretary, Deputy National Organising Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, National Woman Leader, National Youth Leader, and the National Leader on People with Disabilities, as minimal requirement.

“The NWC had also insisted on their inclusion with specific responsibilities but those that went for the harmonisation meeting were surprised that the Tinubu camp did not only populate the list but also took up all the directorates.

“The point of disagreement, if you ask me, is that they want to involve the NWC members in the capacity of just ordinary members of the campaign council. However, the meeting will continue on Monday,” our source disclosed. (Saturday Sun)

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