Buhari douses tension as APC NEC holds today

     President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met key leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) “to douse tension” ahead of today’s National Executive Committee Meeting of the party. The meetings, insider sources told Daily Trust last night, were held by the president to “avert serious confrontation.” 

    On Sunday, some members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council 2015 loyal to President Buhari told this newspaper that they had uncovered plans by some aggrieved members of the party “to ambush”  the President at today’s meeting. President Buhari first met Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, and then APC leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  

      Daily Trust recalled that ahead of the 2015 general elections, the APC Presidential Campaign Council drew its over 3000 members from the legacy parties that formed the APC. They include Tinubu’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN); Buhari’s Congress for Progressives Change (CPC); Atiku and co’s  nPeoples Democratic Party (PDP) and members of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).  Soon after Buhari won the elections, things turned awry in the APC, with many who believed they contributed to the success of the party crying of being forgotten.

  

    The last time the APC held its NEC meeting was in March and since then, it had postponed several meetings amidst scheming by various party leaders. The meeting, which ought to be held at least three times a year, was convened once in a year since 2015. Article 25 b ( i) provides that “the National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the national chairman  or at the request made in writing by at least two-third of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen (14) days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned”.