Buhari, Amaechi, El-Rufai, Osinbajo missing – five key takeaways from APC NEC meeting

Di ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) hold dia National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday. Di first time since President Bola Tinubu take office for 2023.

Dis meeting dey come as di party dey face plenty internal wahala as some big members of di party don openly criticise di leadership and even di Tinubu administration.

On Monday, former Kaduna State govnor Nasir El-Rufai, who also be founder member of APC NEC criticise di party leadership as e allege say dem neva hold NEC meeting since two years even though dia constitution tok say NEC meeting suppose dey happen every quarter.

Hia na five ogbonge takeaways from di meeting:

Plenty big names no attend di meeting

Top-top APC members including former President Muhammadu Buhari no attend di meeting and dis don make pipo dey ask wetin dey happen.

Bifor now, na only El-Rufai be di top APC member wey don openly criticise di party leadership and even start to dey meet wit oda political parties as rumours dey fly say e fit comot.

However, Wednesday meeting and di number of top party members wey no attend, show say di internal wahala for APC fit dey more dan wetin di eyes dey see.

Asides from Buhari and El-Rufai, di oda big wigs wey dey absent from di meeting include former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, and former Ekiti State Govnor Kayode Fayemi.

Garba Shehu, di tok-tok pesin for former President Buhari tell BBC Hausa say e get di notice of di meeting on Tuesday and "even if e get private jet, di former president still no fit make am from Daura to Abuja in time for di meeting".

APC dey owe plenty gbese

Abdullahi Ganduje di APC National Chairman tok for di meeting say di party dey owe gbese wey pass 8.6 billion naira ($5.7 million) from di plenty election legal battles wey dem bin dey involve.

E tok say court don even place garnishee order on top of some of dia accounts sake of di plenty debt.

A garnishee order na order of court wey give bank power to comot any money wey dey inside pesin account to pay di gbese wey di pesin dey owe weda di pesin like am or not.

"Di National Legal Adviser bin don dey make efforts to reduce di debt burden through dialogue and oda alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, but we still dey appeal to di National Executive Committee to intervene accordingly. E dey important to note dat some of our accounts still dey garnisheed," Ganduje tok.

Vote of confidence on Tinubu

Di NEC also pass a vote of confidence on di administration of President Tinubu following a motion moved by di Govnor of Imo State Hope Uzodimma and seconded by di former govnor of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole.

"Satisfied wit di manifest and laudable achievements of President Tinubu in less dan two years in office, dis ogbonge body do pass a vote of confidence on di leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu," Uzodimma tok.

Accepting di vote of confidence, President Tinubu tok say im dey touched by dia support and e dey accept am as a challenge to do more work.

New national secretariat

Di APC national chairman also beg President Tinubu to help dem get land wia dem go build "a befitting national secretariat".

Ganduje say dem don apply for land for di Federal Capital Territory Authority and dem hope to build secretariat "wey go conveniently accommodate our national officers, di newly established Progressives Institute as well as di three wings of di party".

Responding, President Tinubu agree say dia secretariat dey "too small" for dem and say dem need a bigger location.

"I think di minister of national economic planning dey hia. We go discuss am wit di minister in charge, and we go do something about it," Tinubu promise.

Reconciliation tok

Ganduje also say di party leadership don dey make ogbonge efforts to reconcile members wey dey vex for di party, and di efforts don dey yield results.

"Through dialogue, we don initiate high-level discussions amongst party leaders and oda stakeholders wit a view to resolve lingering differences between our members," Ganduje tok.

Also di NEC ratify di party leadership to di North-West region wia Ganduje come from, and dis na effort to discourage some members wey dey call Ganduje to comot and for di national chairmanship of di party to return to di North-Central.