… Govs divided over planned NEC meeting
… Only Buni, Akpanudoedehe can convene NEC, Nabena tells Gov. Bello
Less than three weeks to its March 26 national convention, the ruling All Progressives Congress APC may have been enmeshed in another crisis of leadership following attempts by certain stakeholders to orchestrate the convening of a National Executive Committee NEC meeting of the party.
A North Central governor in the party is alleged to be rallying some of his colleagues to get them to sanction a NEC meeting where crucial decisions on the national convention will be taken.
Some governors were said to have met at a state lodge in Asokoro on Sunday afternoon while another meeting was reportedly planned for Sunday night at another Governor’s Lodge within the same Asokoro.
A top party source told Vanguard Sunday night in Abuja that some forces want to capitalize on the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately convene such meeting and make far-reaching decisions which will be presented to the president on his return to the country.
“There are speculations that one of the governors has been trying to get his colleagues to support him in calling for a NEC meeting. It is nothing strange, except that the president is not around and they want to take some important decisions in his absence. There are those who often use their closeness to the president to sell their own ideas as the position of the party.
“The argument of those who oppose the NEC meeting is that the CECPC is was granted the powers of NEC when the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee NWC was dissolved in June 2020. This is for our lawyers to determine”, said the source.
You can’t convene NEC, Nabena tells Bello
Meanwhile, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Yekini Nabena has called on the Niger state Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello to stop his plan to call for a National Executive Committee NEC meeting without the authorization of Governor Mai Mala Buni.
Gov. Bello is a member of the Buni-led CECPC and represents the North Central.
In a statement released Sunday in Abuja, the Bayelsa-born APC chieftain said Governor Bello is just an ordinary member of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and not the Chairman or Secretary.
“I am using this medium to call on our leaders across the states to caution Governor Sani Bello of Niger state. The Presidency should also call him to order to immediately drop the plan to convey a NEC meeting without the knowledge of Governor Mai Mala Buni and the Secretary of the CECPC.
“The likes of Governor Bello are the political vultures working against our party and to cause anarchy in the ruling APC.
“Governor Sani Bello is neither the Chairman nor Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee. So, where did he get the powers to convey such meeting?
“Governor Bello should not destroy the ruling APC because of his personal political ambition of becoming Vice President or whatever in 2023.”
According to Nabena, the large interest of the majority should be bigger than personal ambition of Governor Sani Bello.
Vanguard
