President Muhammadu Buhari and the Progressive governors have made U-turn on the earlier Scheduled National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which they postponed.
The said postponement of the NEC meeting which was formerly slated to determine Adams Oshiomhole faith hit the brick wall at the end of the President Buhari meeting with the progressive governors at the State House, Abuja yesterday.
A source within the party who did not want his identity revealed said despite the threat of scattering the party, some of the members who have vowed to end Oshiomhole’s government are restless and strategising to oust the embattled chairman at any slightest opportunity on NEC meeting present itself.
The major agenda of the NEC meeting until Buhari aborted it was to disgrace Oshiomhole out as the National party chairman allegedly championed by the party chairman successor as governor in Edo state.
The Jagaban, Bola Tinibu had on Monday made his position clear that he was for Oshiomhole, calling the aggrieved members to sheath their swords.
Some of the party stalwarts believed that kicking Oshiomhole out will translate to shattering Tinibu’s influence and his alleged scheming ahead of 2023.
Some of the pro-Oshiomhole believed that by suspending the NEC meeting, they will buy more time to allow the Chairman reconciliation Committee, Chief Bisi Akande, to address the grey areas affecting the internal wrangling within the ruling party.
However, some anti-Osjhiomhole has kicked against the idea, saying anything that would be presented by the chief Bisi Akande lead committee would be subject to Tinibu’s manipulation considering him being an ally to Jagaban.
At the Presidential Villa, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), the Governor of Kebbi state, Atiku Bagudu announced the postponement of the NEC meeting shortly before rounding up the meeting.
Bagudu informed his colleagues that the development was a welcome idea to President Buhari so that it will give room to all aggrieved members to mend fences before convening the next one.
In his statement, “Among the issues we discussed was the resolution the governors have taken to work together and resolve all the issues in our party and also we sought Mr President’s support to postpone the NEC meeting that was scheduled for tomorrow (today), until such a time that governors will be able to report back,”
meanwhile, according to Article 12.3 of the APC Constitution, the NEC members include the president, vice president, Senate president, deputy Senate president, speaker of the House of Representatives, his deputy, governors, principal officers of the National Assembly, two serving senators from each geo-political zone, three members of the House of Representatives from each of the geo-political zone and party leaders among others.
The NEC exercises control and takes disciplinary actions on all organs, officers and members of the party.
The daily trust reported that having come out from the Appeal Court from a position of strength, at least for now, Oshiomhole will attend the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the APC scheduled for today at the party’s national secretariat.
Oshiomhole had stayed away from the secretariat since the Abuja High Court ordered his suspension on March 4.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said all members of the NWC were expected to attend as important matters concerning the party would be considered and deliberated at the meeting.
