At the emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held today the 25th of June 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari recommended the following, and we can report categorically that they have been endorsed by the NEC and thus have become the new status-quo:
- Approving the immediate discontinuation of all pending litigation(s) involving the Party (APC) and its members,
- Ratifying the primary election conducted in Edo State;
- Dissolving the current National Working Committee (NWC), and
- Appointing caretaker/ Extra-ordinary Convention Planning committee for the Party.
The implication of dissolving the National Working Committee means that finally, Adams Oshiomhole the erstwhile controversial National Chairman of The APC who is believed to be working assiduously towards the 2023 ambitions of the National Leader of the party, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has been sacked. It implies that both Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu had failed in their responsibilities as National Chairman and National Leader respectively. So much so that it had to take the intervention of Mr. President to resolve the leadership crisis rocking the party.
Whereas this decision of the NEC to dissolve the NWC of the APC is final and cannot be reversed by any body or court, one wonders what its far-reaching consequences would be for both Oshiomhole who is battling to retain his influence and relevance in Edo State politics and Tinubu whose 2023 presidential ambitions are not a secret.
In his address at the NEC meeting, president Muhammadu Buhari had said
“The issues currently confronting our party at this time are such that should worry every Party member. At the moment, our great Party is faced with internal wranglings; there are on-going litigations amongst some Party members and we cannot clearly ascertain the status of certain National Working Committee members.
“There are also other associated disputes as to the legitimacy or otherwise of holders of certain National Offices of the Party. The Party is also contending with Judicial claims and counter-claims, Orders and Counter-Orders and indeed Judgments and Counter-Judgments that are pre-dominantly at cross-purposes.
“Confronted with these issues, it is obvious that the fortunes of the Party are currently in jeopardy, administration of our party is becoming impossible and there is consequently an urgent need for intervention to immediately arrest further drifts and internal wrangling which may lead to total disintegration. What we see clearly emerging, is that we are beginning to self-destruct. This, my dear Party members, is not just regrettable but utterly gut wrenching. The potential fallout from this conduct will not only cause us to lose the gains that we have labored for with our sweat over the years, but makes a mockery of our ability to maintain party cohesion and close our ranks. We must return to our winning ways.”
