APC Holds NEC Meeting Friday, Stormy Session Looms

Tension mounts as the first National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gets under way in Abuja.

It is the first since APC emerged victorious in the March 28 presidential election and the June 9 election unopposed of Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara in the  National Assembly (NASS) against the wishes of the party.

Whereas the rational, informed sections of the party insist that its leaders deserve being told in clear, unmistakable terms that the party goofed by dabbling into NASS leaders’ elections and has itself to blame, the emotional arguments surface about sanctioning the victorious NASS leaders to deepen APC’s factionalisation leading to possible break-up.

The meeting is expected to be attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Speaker of House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara; National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, 22 party governors and other national leaders.

The thrust of the meeting is to break the impasse caused by the leadership crisis‎ in the National Assembly: For, Saraki and Dogara had emerged presiding officers of the upper and lower chambers respectively, against the party’s‎ choice of Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila.

Also, the party’s directive on its choice of principal officers of NASS was not adhered to.

Thus, a stormy session is expec‎ted, as a section of the party hierarchy is calling for sanctions against both NASS leaders while another section is calling for a compromise.

On Thursday, speaking with journalists at the APC secretariat, Oyegun called for a compromise among the party’s leaders to end the month-long upheaval.

-TheCable

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