The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) meets in Abuja on Thursday to deliberate on key issues, especially the replacement for Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who recently resigned as party Chairman.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will weigh in on the issue and his view on the matter will swing the final decision, party sources have submitted.
The former Kano State’s Governor resigned as National Chairman on June 27, and Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori, immediately took the seat in an acting capacity.
Multiple sources confirmed that the NEC meeting is essentially being convened to decide Dalori’s future and that of other members of the National Working Committee (NWC).
While some party insiders said the NEC is expected to ratify Dalori’s role and give him a timeframe within which to organise an elective national convention to choose a substantive chairman, others insist that President Bola Tinubu holds the decisive card and may choose a substantive chairman during the meeting.
The NEC is the second-highest decision-making organ of the APC, comprising the president, vice president, governors elected on the party’s platform, NWC members, state chairmen, and other key stakeholders.
Ahead of the NEC meeting, the NWC held a two-hour closed-door meeting on Monday.
However, the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, and there was no media briefing afterwards.
A source said that the NWC finalised a draft agenda and transmitted it to President Tinubu for approval.
“The meeting will hold as scheduled, but we don’t know the kind of politics the president and other stakeholders might play.
“However, at the NWC level, the draft agenda covers the leadership transition in the party, elective convention, congresses, and e-registration of members, among other items,” the source said.
Meanwhile, there are speculations that the NEC may dissolve the current NWC entirely and appoint a 13-member caretaker committee to oversee a fresh elective convention.
“There are still NWC members loyal to Ganduje, who is no longer in office and thus cannot be trusted. Others are allegedly hobnobbing with the opposition coalition. So, the thinking in some quarters is to get rid of them before 2027,” a party source disclosed.
In 2020, the NEC dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC and appointed then Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, as chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee. The committee, after two years, conducted the elective convention that produced Senator Abdullahi Adamu as national chairman.
Reacting to the rumours, APC’s National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, in a telephone interview, dismissed the claims.
On whether the NEC meeting will hold, he said, “Yes, affirmed.” But on the agenda, he stated, “No, I don’t have it. I’m not privy to that.”
Asked about the rumoured plan to dissolve the NWC, Ibrahim said, “I can’t confirm that. But I’ve heard people say such things. For now, all those reports are rumours and speculations.
I don’t know where they are getting their information. I wouldn’t know until I’m officially informed.”
On the likelihood of Dalori’s role being ratified, he added, “It’s my hope. But it’s not something I can confirm. NEC can decide anything.”
A source at the APC national secretariat, however, said other issues on the agenda include upcoming party congresses, role of the opposition, internal crises in some state chapters, and preparations for the 2026 FCT Council elections and the 2027 general elections.
Dalori is also expected to brief the NEC on developments since the last meeting in February, including opposition defections, financial reports, and overall party affairs.
Amidst the uncertainties, some APC chieftains under the aegis of the All Progressives Stakeholders Forum have appealed to President Tinubu not to dissolve the NWC, warning that such a move could cause division within the party.
DAILY TRUST
