… ‘Battle for party’s soul begins ahead of 2023’
The National Working Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress has been thrown into confusion, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement of Victor Giadom as Acting National chairman of the party.
The President, who indicated his resolve to attend the APC National Executive Council meeting convened by Giadom, was said to have based his support for the latter’s chairmanship on relevant provisions of the law.
The NEC meeting is expected to hold at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.
A reliable source in the Presidency, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, owing to the sensitivity of the matter, said the NWC members who had endorsed Abiola Ajimobi as Acting National Chairman had been thrown into confusion as regards the implication of the President’s action.
The source said, “It is not possible for everyone to fold their arms and watch things continue to sink because we are not doing the proper things. The constitution is clear on various issues.
“If this position had come earlier, Governor Godwin Obaseki might have been returned as an aspirant in APC to contest the primary. But we can’t foreclose anything. In all, we can say that what is happening will determine the direction of the party’s affairs ahead of 2023.”
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, told State House Correspondents on Wednesday, “The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as the Acting National Chairman. Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon.”
Shehu also urged the media to stop promoting what he described as manufactured controversies, noting that they should not give “any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.”
“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly,” he noted.
