Tension in APC rises

• Party resumes meeting on Monday                                       
  

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to boil over the controversy of tenure elongation of the national chairman and the national Working Committee (NWC), beside other internal crises that have been ravaging the party. The seeming intractable conflicts generate rising tension of uncertainty of the party’s future political fortune, including the second tenure endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Accordingly, the rising tension compelled President Buhari to forgo recent international engagements, including delaying his commencement of annual leave, to enable the party reach convincing conclusions.    
Invariably, the APC has scheduled to resume the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Monday for concluding deliberation on the extension of the NWC tenure. The Monday meeting has become imperative to retrace the ruling APC on the path of re-inventing internal democracy, as well as rebuilding the party structures for negotiation, trade off and consensus building.

The ruling APC had at the February 27 NEC meeting endorsed the tenure elongation of the NWC for another one year effect from June 2018 after 31 States Chairmen had on February 26 recommended two years tenure elongation for the NWC. President Buhari, however, turned on March 27 to dealer that decision illegal and unconstitutional. Some NWC members had argued that the President had spoken as an individual member of the party, and had probably not spoken a consensus decision of the party stakeholders.

However, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had on Wednesday revealed in Abuja at the end of a three-hour meeting between APC governors and the National Working Committee (NWC), that a 10-member technical committee headed by Governor Simon Dalung of Plateau was constituted on Tuesday, to advise the party leadership on the way forward on the tenure extension controversy.

President Buhari while nullifying the February 27 decision of the NEC to extend the tenure of the NWC for one year remarked that the decision was causing acrimony within the party, making some members uncomfortable and dragging the party to court.

Meanwhile, the advisory committee led by Governor Simon Dalung has submitted its report to the party leadership.

Odigie-Oyegun acknowledged that “The report will be placed before NEC on Monday and appropriate decision will be taken and thereafter, we shall announce to you the further steps we are going to be taking.” The national chairman had also admonished that the party´s next steps would depend on the NEC consideration on the committee´s recommendation, implying that the crises may not be over after the meeting.

Oyegun, however, said that the APC was back as one united and focused party, strongly behind Buhari and its executives across in the states.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, had stated that final decision on the tenure extension issue resides with the NEC.

Oyegun further maintained that, ´´It is left for the NEC to decide, and if the committee recommends that the position of NEC should be maintained, then, there will be no need for an elective convention.

“Then, the president and those who are concerned that the decision we have taken is correct or not, will have more confidence in the position of the party.’’

However, President Buhari and APC governors at the Tuesday meeting resolved that the party should hold a national convention and state congresses to elect new leaders.

Former Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has been identified to be on the shop list of Oyegun’s successor.