…as party embarks on total overhaul
- Secretariat staff accuse party exco of neglect, back dissolution
- Seven Imo PDP exco members dump party
BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Members of the National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress have reportedly been gripped by the fear of losing their positions as rumours of the imminent dissolution of the Committee filter into the party’s national Secretariat in Abuja.
Impeccable sources in the party told The Point that no member of the NWC was sure of surviving the tsunami that might visit the Buhari house national headquarters of the party soon.
Some secretariat staff, who claimed that they had not been treated fairly, alleged that some NWC members had worked against the emergence of President Bola Tinubu as the candidate of the party and had also allegedly worked against his emergence as President.
A source who asked not to be named, owing to the sensitivity of the matter, said, “Monitor the activities and attitudes of the NWC members. Since Asiwaju won the presidential election, they have been living in fear and the reason is because they never believed he would win and so they didn’t support him.
“Forget all the things they are saying at media briefings, everyone in the national secretariat knew they were not with him. That was why they connived with some people at the Presidency to impose Senator Ahmad Lawan as the APC candidate.”
“Some secretariat staff, who claimed that they had not been treated fairly, alleged that some NWC members had worked against the emergence of President Bola Tinubu as the candidate of the party and had also allegedly worked against his emergence as President”
The source went ahead to say that most of the NWC members lost their constituencies in the election because they were not bothered.
“Most of them lost their constituencies in the presidential election but won in the governorship, national and state assemblies. Was it a coincidence?” he asked.
According to findings, the secretariat staff are praying that the President puts machineries in motion to sack the NWC.
Some staff who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said the NWC had been having weekly meetings since the emergence of Tinubu as President.
They alleged that the meetings were aimed at creating a reason to share the funds in the party’s purse before the final whistle.
One of them said, “Since Senator Abdullahi Adamu emerged as the National Chairman, they were not meeting often untill after the election when Tinubu won. For every meeting they attended, they would go home with sitting allowances but when it is about the welfare of the party, they will claim there is no money.
“Even to refund the national chairmanship aspirants who willingly stepped down on their own their N100 million for the purchase of forms as the party demanded, the NWC has not done that. We know some of them like former governor George Akume who is now the SGF forfeited his own to the party but others have been coming for the refund. Till date, they have not paid them.
“They know that Jagaban is aware of all these, which is why they are afraid. I tell you, they are one leg in, one leg out. Come to the national secretariat and witness what I am telling you. This NWC has killed the party, forgetting that Tinubu won the election. It was not APC that won it for him. Had it been that he was depending on the party, he would have lost woefully.”
A member of the NWC who preferred anonymity told The Point that the NWC members were aware of the push from various angles to sack them.
He said, “It is no longer a secret that many people are lobbying the President to sack us. They tagged us as Buhari NWC and not APC NWC. A lot is happening and we are aware of them but the truth remains that we have done more than any NWC since the formation of the APC.
“You know what this secretariat looked like before we came and what it looks like now. This great work carried out in this secretariat is not only on the building. Before we came, you would see a crowd of people here answering staff without an office or schedule. Thugs took over as if APC was a party of thugs.
“Even in the NWC, we have divisions. Some of us want our brothers who are directors to be superior to NWC members which is an aberration. Some are accusing the National Chairman and the National Secretary of running the party as private business. In fact, a lot is wrong. We are waiting to see what happens next.”
Meanwhile, the National Vice Chairman, North West, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has tasked the President to prioritise the rebuilding of the party after the success it recorded during the 10th National Assembly leadership elections because of his involvement.
Lukman argued that barring the influence of President Tinubu, the party would have been messed up during the election of leaders of both chambers, which was why President Tinubu must seriously embark on rebuilding the party.
He said, “With the election of leaders of the 10th National Assembly concluded on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 and the victory of the nominated candidates of the APC for the two chambers (Senate and House of Representatives), President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being the leader of the party, needs to prioritise rebuilding the APC to reform Nigerian politics so that our political parties are developed to grow beyond being mere election vehicles.
“Rebuilding the APC is simply about returning the party to its founding vision of truly becoming a progressive political party. Prioritising rebuilding the APC to return it to its founding vision is basically about ensuring that all the organs of the party are constituted and allowed to function in line with the provisions of the APC constitution.
“Since the time of Chief John Odigie Oyegun as the National Chairman, the National Executive Committee (NEC), which by the provisions of Article 13.3 A is empowered ‘to be the principal Executive body of the party’, discharging ‘the functions of National Convention in between National Conventions’ has not been meeting quarterly as provided under the APC constitution.
“In fact, between 2015 and today, not more than eight meetings of NEC were held when if the statutory requirement of quarterly meetings provided under the APC constitution has been respected, not less than thirty NEC meetings would have been held. Had the NEC been meeting as provided in the APC constitution, members would have stronger power in managing affairs of the APC and most of the challenges facing the party could have been resolved based on decisions of organs of the party.”
Seven Imo PDP committee members dump party
Meanwhile, seven members of the state Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party in Imo State, on Sunday morning, announced their resignations from their positions.
They also announced the withdrawal of their membership from the party.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat in Owerri, the state capital, Collins Opurozor, who until now was the state publicity secretary of the party, said that the candidate of the party for the November 11 governorship election in the state, Samuel Anyanwu, doesn’t have what it takes to govern the state.
“He said himself, the secretary of the party, Ray Emeana; youth leader, Greg Nwadike; deputy state chairman, Martin Ejiogu; state woman leader, Maria Mbakwe; Josiah Eze, State Treasurer; and Chibuisi Obido, State Vice Chairman, Orlu Zone, had resigned from their positions and also dumped the party”
He said himself, the secretary of the party, Ray Emeana; youth leader, Greg Nwadike; deputy state chairman, Martin Ejiogu; state woman leader, Maria Mbakwe; Josiah Eze, State Treasurer; and Chibuisi Obido, State Vice Chairman, Orlu Zone, had resigned from their positions and also dumped the party.
All of them who were present at the press conference spoke separately and concurred with Opurozor’s assertion.
They however refused to announce which party they were joining, adding that the next party they would join would be made known in the days to come.
Opurozor said, “Since 2020 when this Working Committee took over the administrative cockpit of the PDP in Imo State, we have evolved a tradition of being upfront with you as members of the fourth estate of the realm about all issues that trouble our dear state.
“We have, through such interactions, inspired faith in a better Imo realised through good governance and democratic norms.
“Today, unfortunately, is not for such engagements. In unequivocal terms, we announce to you that the PDP in Imo State has now been damaged beyond redemption by the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Nnaemeka Anyanwu (Samdadday), and the Party is, at last, moving irreversibly to its terminus.”
