Plot to bar Tinubu from APC NEC meeting thickens

‘Ex-gov, not national leader’

FROM ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, ABUJA

The tension in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) heightened yesterday as there are moves to bar National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from attending the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) scheduled for today.

The parley was postponed from last Tuesday.

A group of angry leaders, backed by former governors of the party, are set on a collision course with the leadership of the party over Tinubu’s alleged role in the leadership crisis rocking the National Assembly. Daily Sun gathered that some prominent party members are up in arms against top leaders of the party on Tinubu’s status “after the March 28 presidential poll.

A former governor of the party reiterated to Daily Sun yesterday that there would be drama at the venue of the NEC meeting if Tinubu is allowed to enter or participate in deliberations of the party’s highest organ.

He queried Tinubu’s status as a “national leader of the party” and insisted that if he is allowed to attend the NEC meeting, then, former governors are also ready to also demand entry and participate in deliberations.

“If they allow Tinubu to attend the meeting, we will also attend. Just wait for the drama that would take place if anybody who is not a member of the NEC attempts to enter the meeting…” he said.

APC’s constitution stipulates that there shall be a National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party consisting of these people:

National Chairman; Deputy National Chairman (North); Deputy National Chairman (South); National Secretary; Deputy National Secretary; Six National Vice Chairmen, one from each Geo political zone of the Country (to be also known as Zonal Chairmen); National Legal Adviser; Deputy National Legal Adviser; National Treasurer; Deputy National Treasurer; National Financial Secretary; Deputy National; National Organizing Secretary; Deputy National Organizing Secretary;

Others are National Publicity Secretary; Deputy National Publicity Secretary; National Welfare Secretary; Deputy National Welfare Secretary; National Auditor; Deputy National Auditor; National Women Leader; Deputy National Women Leader; National Youth Leader; Deputy National Youth Leader; Special (Physically Challenged) Leader; Zonal Secretary; Zonal Youth Leader; Zonal Organizing Secretary; Zonal Women Leader; States’ Chairmen of the party; The President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who are members of the party; President of the Senate and Deputy; President of the Senate who are members of the party; Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives who are members of the party; Governors who are members of the party; Majority or Minority Leader, Party Whip and their Deputies in the Senate and House of Representatives who are members of the party; two serving Senators from each geo-political zone of the country, who are members of the party, to be nominated by the Senators from such zone

The rest are three members of the House of Representatives from each geo-political zone of the country who are members of the party to be nominated by members from such zone;  Six ex-officio members, of whom, one each shall be elected by the National Convention from each of the six geo-political zones of the; Serving Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the Board of Trustees

Regardless, a top member of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) disclosed that the party was not disposed to granting “a waiver” to anyone “who is not a NEC member.

“On no account will we allow anyone who is not a member of the NEC enter the meeting. We will stick to the constitution of the party which stipulates that only NEC members attend today’s meeting,” he said.

A new governor of the party from the North also corroborated what the top National Working Committee (NWC) member said. He specifically singled out the former Lagos State governor and added: “If Tinubu is allowed into the NEC meeting, after his role in the leadership crisis of the party, then, our predecessors, too, should be allowed to enter the meeting and participate.”

A top chieftain also told Daily Sun that Tinubu ceased to be a national leader of the party after the presidential election. “We want to be shown where it is enshrined in our constitution that we have a national leader…There’s no provision for National leader in the party’s constitution. President Muhammadu Buhari automatically becomes the national leader of the party after his election more than two months ago…”