Why APC governors are pushing for NEC meeting — Bagudu

The Kebbi State Governor and chairperson of the APC Governors Forum, Abubakar Bagudu, has said governors elected on the party’s platform are pushing for a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in order to halt a drift of the party.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday announced a plan to participate in the NEC meeting convened by Victor Giadom who lays claim to the leadership of the party.

“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 Acting National Chairman,” a presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said in a statement.

But in statement he released earlier in the day, acting national secretary of the party, Waziri Bulama, had cited provisions of the APC constitution to declare the proposed NEC meeting as illegal.

Mr Bulama also said Mr Giadom lacks legitimacy as he was expelled from the NWC.

Speaking to PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday night, Mr Bagudu said the governors are united in the search for immediate and lasting solution to the problems of the party.

But PREMIUM TIMES learnt only seven governors, including Mr Bagudu, are supporting the convening of the meeting, which may push for dissolution of the NWC of the party.

The Kebbi governor said the governors are pushing for peace and harmony in the party and to save it from its present predicament.

The APC is embroiled in leadership crisis following the suspension of the substantive chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

“A situation where the party is mired in crisis, where court cases are being filed all around and people making all manner of claims, it is disruptive and destructive.”

Mr Bagudu was non-committal on what the agenda of the meeting would be but insisted that the aim is to resolve crisis rocking the party.

He denied permutations for the 2023 elections as the reason for the action of the governors.

“We were given a mandate in which we just finished only one year. I think any person of faith should not be talking about 2023 at this time.”

Mr Bagudu said ambition of persons like him was to have a united and strong party, not necessarily a platform to contest elections.