…party NWC declines invitation, says meeting illegal
President Muhammadu Buhari has lent support to the Victor Giadom-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Presidential spokesman confirmed that Buhari would be attending the virtual National Executive Council meeting of the party, scheduled for today (Thursday).
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Garba Shehu said:
“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.”
“Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon.
“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly.
“We urge the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter”.
Giadom is the suspended deputy national chairman of the party.
Buhari’s position will deepen the crisis in the party, as he seemed now to have taken a position against majority members of the NWC, who do not support Giadom.
On Monday, Buhari received in audience three APC governors, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Simon Lalong of Plateau and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa.
They discussed the crisis in the party following the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole by the courts, in a case engineered by some top members of the party, with an eye on 2023.
Majority of APC NWC picked Abiola Ajimobi as the acting chairman and even went further to kick out Giadom from the party.
The APC said Giadom was no longer a member of the NWC, having resigned in 2018.
Days later, Rivers APC suspended Giadom and nominated Worgu Boms as his replacement.
On Tuesday, the Rivers branch of the party secured an injunction that barred Giadom from parading himself as a member of the APC.
Majority of National Working Committee members of the APC have rejected invitations to the virtual emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.
After a four-hour emergency meeting on Wednesday, Hilliard Etta, vice-chairman of the APC (south-south) and Waziri Bulama, acting national secretary, said they resolved that attending the NEC meeting will amount to “embracing illegalities and turning a blind eye to the infractions on the constitution of the party”.
“We wish to unequivocally state that members of the National Working Committee (NWC) believe that the President was offered wrong advice or blackmailed into lending his weighty office to the illegality of the National Executive Committee meeting purportedly convened by one Victor Giadom on 25th June, 2020,” the statement read.
“We hereby respectfully implore Mr. President to kindly avail himself with facts of the matter regarding the impasse presently experienced by the party so as to guide him in his assessment of the matter because we are sure that the President, if properly advised, would come to the conclusion that the meeting convened by Chief Victor Giadom bothers on illegality and criminality.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) regrets to turn down the invitation to the illegal and unconstitutional National Executive Committee (NEC) convened by Chief Victor Giadom.
“We believe that attending such a meeting will amount to embracing illegalities and turning a blind eye to the infractions on the Constitution of our great Party.”
