…factional chairman not competent to make call, says APC
Victor Giadom has forged ahead as the acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite rejection by majority of National Working Committee (NWC) members.
This is despite his suspension by Rivers branch and removal by the NWC, by giving effect to his resignation in 2018.
Apart from informing INEC that he is the acting chairman, Giadom has set up an account on Twitter.
His bio page describes him as acting national chairman.
Giadom has now summoned an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party for Thursday 25 June.
According to a notification letter that he sent to INEC today, the meeting will take place at 10am at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But in another notice to APC NEC members, the meeting will take place at noon, same venue.President Muhammadu Buhari, is yet to speak publicly over the leadership tussle, following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as the chairman of the party by the courts.
On Monday, Buhari met with three governors, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Simon Lalong of Plateau and Mohammed Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa.
At least one of the governors backs Giadom.
Majority members of the NWC have named Abiola Ajimobi, the party’s deputy chairman as the acting chairman.
But because Ajimobi is indisposed, critically ill at a Lagos hospital, his role is being performed by Hilliard Etta, the vice chairman.
On Tuesday, the police sealed the national headquarters of the party, at the instruction of the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu.
His aim was to seek a truce between the warring groups.
It was not clear how the top policeman resolved the political conflict.
But by Tuesday evening, the police opened the APC office all over again.
However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) said on Tuesday that its former member Victor Giadom is not competent to call the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.
National Vice-Chairman (Soutt-South) of the party Hillary Etta, who is standing in for acting National Chairman Senator Abiola Ajimobi, said after a NWC meeting on Tuesday wondered why Giadom, who is no longer a member of the party could claim to be calling a NEC meeting.
Etta said: “I sit here on behalf of Distinguished Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the acting Chairman of this party. If Victor Giadom is arranging a NEC, I believe that it is your responsibility as a member of the fourth estate of the realm to investigate his locus to find out whether he has the legal and the constitutional backing to be able to call a NEC meeting.
“As we speak, the membership of Chief Giadom has been suspended by a competent court of jurisdiction in Port Harcourt this afternoon. Not only is he not a member of the NWC from today, his membership of the APC has been suspended”.
Citing Article 25B(i and ii) of the APC Constitution (2014 as amended) gives the conditions precedent to summoning a NEC meeting, as: “The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-thirds of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.
“Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend”.
