President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly walked out of the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the All Progressives Congress, APC, held at the party’s secretariat in Abuja on Friday after it turned rowdy.
According to the Sun, National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole also got a vote of confidence and survived the impeachment threat that has surrounded his position.
The meeting, which was the shortest ever, appeared tensed when anti and pro-Oshiomhole protesters grounded the activities along the road leading to the party’s national secretariat, resulting in security agents firing teargas to disperse the protesters.
Every effort to stop the Edo State chairman of the party, Anslem Ojezua, from entering the meeting venue was thwarted by other chairmen that complained and threatened to walk out of the meeting thereby making the venue more uncomfortable for the President.
However, no decision was taken on the suspended members of the party like the immediate past governors of Imo and Ogun states, Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun among others who were incidentally absent at the meeting.
It was also revealed during the meeting that the shortfall in the funds generated to finance the 2019 presidential election almost denied President Muhammadu Buhari re-election.
Speaking at the NEC meeting, Oshiomhole disclosed that they had to frantically source for funds a few days to the election to prosecute the poll.
Addressing press conference shortly after the meeting, the chairman of the party in Zamfara State, Alhaji Lawan Liman, who incidentally is the chairman of the forum of aggrieved NEC members, offered an insight into what transpired at the closed-door meeting while addressing a press conference last night in Abuja.
Liman, who was flanked by other members of the forum, demanded for Oshiomhole’s resignation to save the party from what he called its imminent disintegration.
He said: “The All Progressive Congress was founded as a platform for the progressives in Nigeria in 2014 with ‘change’ as the slogan of the party.
“The party was positively embraced by the citizens of Nigeria, culminating in the record-breaking victory of President Muhammadu Buhari as the first opposition leader to defeat an incumbent president.
“Most of the goodwill acquired by the party by reason of its religious adherence to the provisions of its constitution and the tenets of internal democratic practices has taken a downturn, principally due to dictatorial and despotic tendencies of the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who has usurped the powers of the National Executive Committee of the party.
“This may have been responsible for the admonition of Mr President who insisted that the party organs at the state, LGA and ward levels must be strengthened and accorded due respect with regard to the powers and responsibilities conferred on them by the constitution of the party.
«Most unfortunately, the facade conducted by the national chairman today, the 22nd of November, 2019, as a National Executive Committee meeting leaves much to be desired. He completely ignored Mr President’s advice and rather defied all known rules for meetings by precluding opinions from members and ending the meeting abruptly without achieving anything. This is most unfortunate and undesirable.
“Arising from the foregoing and having regards to the huge responsibilities bestowed on us as officers of the party and in the overriding interest of our members, we are left with no option but to demand that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole resign his position as national chairman in order to stem the slide and provide an enabling environment for genuine healing, reconciliation and the practice of true democracy within the party across the country.”
The press conference had in attendance state chairmen of the party, including Bala Kangiwa (Kebbi), Habibi Sara (Jigawa), Ade Adetimehin (Ondo), Abdullahi Abbas (Kano), Abba Yaro (Benue) and Omotosin Paul (Ekiti).
Others are Mohammed Jibril Iman (Niger), Anslem Ojezua (Edo), Philips Shekwo (Nasarawa), Air Commodore Ikeda (retd) (Kaduna), Lakep Dabah (Plateau), Shitu Shitu (Katsina), Isah Sadiq Acida (), among others.
