Barring any last-minute change, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will meet in Abuja on Thursday to deliberate on key issues threatening cohesion within the party.

Credible sources at the APC national secretariat in Abuja disclosed that top on the agenda is the matter of the party?s leadership, particularly the emergence of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje?s substantive successor.

Daily Trust reports that Ganduje resigned as national chairman on June 27, paving the way for the deputy national chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori, to assume office in an acting capacity.

Multiple sources confirmed that the NEC meeting is essentially being convened to decide Dalori?s future and that of other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

While some party insiders said the NEC is expected to ratify Dalori?s role and give him a timeframe within which to organise an elective national convention to choose a substantive chairman, others insist that President Bola Tinubu holds the decisive card and may choose a substantive chairman during the meeting.

The NEC is the second-highest decision-making organ of the APC, comprising the president, vice president, governors elected on the party?s platform, NWC members, state chairmen, and other key stakeholders.

NWC meets, forwards draft agenda to President Tinubu

Ahead of the NEC meeting, the NWC held a two-hour closed-door meeting on Monday. However, the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, and there was no media briefing afterwards.

A source told Daily Trust that the NWC finalised a draft agenda and transmitted it to President Tinubu for approval.

?The meeting will hold as scheduled, but we don?t know the kind of politics the president and other stakeholders might play.

?However, at the NWC level, the draft agenda covers the leadership transition in the party, elective convention, congresses, and e-registration of members, among other items,? the source said.

Offering a legal perspective, Barrister Bashir Maidugu, a member of the APC Constitution Review Committee (2022), told Daily Trust that the NEC is constitutionally empowered to appoint a substantive national chairman.

He cited Article 13:3(ii) of the APC Constitution, which allows the NEC to ?discharge all functions of the national convention in between national conventions.?

?It was in this same spirit that Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was nominated immediately after Senator Abdullahi Adamu?s resignation. However, any nomination must still be ratified at the next national convention,? Maidugu explained.

He further referenced Section 13.3(c) of the party?s constitution, which limits the acting tenure of national officers to 12 calendar months, including that of the national chairman.

Meanwhile, there are speculations that the NEC may dissolve the current NWC entirely and appoint a 13-member caretaker committee to oversee a fresh elective convention.

?There are still NWC members loyal to Ganduje, who is no longer in office and thus cannot be trusted. Others are allegedly hobnobbing with the opposition coalition. So, the thinking in some quarters is to get rid of them before 2027,? a party source disclosed.

It would be recalled that in 2020, the NEC dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC and appointed then Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, as chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee. The committee, after two years, conducted the elective convention that produced Senator Abdullahi Adamu as national chairman.

Reacting to the rumours, APC?s National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, in a telephone interview with Daily Trust, dismissed the claims.

On whether the NEC meeting will hold, he said, ?Yes, affirmed.? But on the agenda, he stated, ?No, I don?t have it. I?m not privy to that.?

Asked about the rumoured plan to dissolve the NWC, Ibrahim said, ?I can?t confirm that. But I?ve heard people say such things. For now, all those reports are rumours and speculations. I don?t know where they are getting their information. I wouldn?t know until I?m officially informed.?

On the likelihood of Dalori?s role being ratified, he added, ?It?s my hope. But it?s not something I can confirm. NEC can decide anything.?

A source at the APC national secretariat, however, told Daily Trust that other issues on the agenda include upcoming party congresses, role of the opposition, internal crises in some state chapters, and preparations for the 2026 FCT Council elections and the 2027 general elections.

Dalori is also expected to brief the NEC on developments since the last meeting in February, including opposition defections, financial reports, and overall party affairs.

Group urges Tinubu not to dissolve NWC

Amidst the uncertainties, some APC chieftains under the aegis of the All Progressives Stakeholders Forum have appealed to President Tinubu not to dissolve the NWC, warning that such a move could cause division within the party.

In an open letter signed by their president, Dr. Maryam Danjaki, and addressed to Tinubu on Monday, the forum urged the president to allow the current NWC to serve until the next national convention.

The group also extended condolences to Tinubu over the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

?With deep respect and patriotic concern, we, the members of the All Progressives Stakeholders Forum?an integral voice within the APC family?write this open letter to commend your leadership and to share our candid views on matters vital to the unity and progress of our great party,? the letter read.

?Your Excellency, at this critical stage in your administration and the life of our party, any reshuffling or tampering with the current leadership may ignite internal unrest, weaken cohesion, and provide political opportunists with the chance to exploit the situation.

?The current NWC has shown considerable stability, and continuity at this time will strengthen internal trust and give your administration the necessary backing to deliver the ?Renewed Hope? agenda without distractions.

?This is not a time for uncertainty. It is a time for consolidation, harmony, and focus?both in governance and within the party.?

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of the NEC told Daily Trust that multiple contentious issues, if mishandled, could plunge the party into crisis.

Among the concerns is the fact that both Vice President Kashim Shettima and acting chairman Dalori hail from Borno State.

?The vice president and the acting chairman are both from Borno in the North East. It?s an issue,? the source said.

?We also keep picking former governors to lead the party. It?s becoming a norm, but it shouldn?t be. Some of them treat NWC members like commissioners. But Dalori is accessible, which is a change.

?Another issue is congresses. Are we ready? It?s a big challenge. And then, governors defecting to the party?what are their true intentions? If we?re not careful, our own internal crisis will surpass those in the opposition.?

Asked about the reported plan to dissolve the NWC, the NEC member said, ?I?m not aware of that. The NWC has a tenure. You can?t just dissolve it. That alone can spark crisis. It?s not always about getting your way.?

When asked to confirm the meeting?s agenda, he added, ?We?ve not been formally informed. Let?s wait and see what happens. But clearly, there are serious issues to address.? (Daily Trust)

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