The North East and South East geopolitical zones have been locked out from the day-to-day running of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party has failed to replace the former Deputy National Chairman (South), Niyi Adebayo since he resigned and took ministerial appointment in August.
Also, Mai-Mala Buni, the former National Secretary (North East) who resigned since December 2018 after he won the party’s ticket to contest for Yobe governorship election and emerged winner at the general election has also not been replaced.
Similarly, the immediate past National Auditor of APC, George Moghalu (South East) was appointed Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) since October 2019 and has not been replaced.
The affected offices constitute the National Working Committee (NWC), the party organ charged with the responsibility of the day-to-day administration of the party.
According to section 13(4) of the APC Constitution, the NWC shall be responsible for the administration of the party and putting into effect the decisions of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest decision making organ of the party.
The section stipulates that the NWC shall carry out the day to day running of the affairs of the party and it shall in particular:
“Prepare the agenda for the National Convention subject to ratification by the National Executive Committee.
“Prepare and submit reports and budgets for consideration of the National Convention subject to the ratification of the National Executive Committee.
“Provide financial guidelines for the approval of the National Convention subject to the ratification of the National Executive Committee.
“Propose policies and programmes for the Party, which shall be considered by the National Executive Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees.
“Propose to the National Executive Committee, Party electoral regulations, to govern the conduct of elections to all Party offices at every level and to govern the Procedure for selecting Party candidates
for elective offices, subject to the provisions of this Constitution.
“Invite such person(s) as it deems necessary, desirable or expedient, to attend meeting(s) and take part in deliberations provided that such invited person(s) shall have no voting right.
“Have power to make Standing Orders for the approval of the National Executive Committee and ratification by the Board of Trustees.
“Deal with any other matters referred to it by the National Executive Committee or the Board of Trustees.
“Deal with appeals and other problems referred to it by the State Working Committee, and or coming from the Zones and States of the Federation.
“Establish Ad-hoc and, or Standing Committees of the Party and appoint members to such Committees.
“Examine the actions, policies and programmes pursued and legislations made by the Governments of the Federation from time to time in order to determine whether or not they are in accordance with the manifesto and the Constitution of Party and if not to make recommendations to the National Executive Committee for its action.
“Recommend for approval by the National Executive Committee, the proportion of income from subscription from each Ward, Local Government Area/Area Council and States that shall be remitted to the National Office.
“Nominate for appointment, Members of Board of Trustees for the ratification of the National Executive Committee.
“Organise Primary Election for the nomination of its Presidential Candidates, Governorship Candidates and Candidates for ejection into the National and State Assemblies.
“Subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee may in special circumstances grant a waiver to a person not otherwise qualified under Article 31 of this
Constitution if in its opinion, such a waiver is in the best interest of the party.
“The National Working Committee shall have the power to set up a caretaker committee in place of any organ where there exists in the opinion of the National Working Committee a lacunae by virtue of any act or omission done in furtherance of this Constitution, and “Any such Caretaker Committee so set up shall have a defined tenure and renewable upon a further review by the National Executive Committee”.
Thus, the continued non-replacement into the affected offices implies that the individual states and geopolitical zones of the former occupants are not being carried along in the performance of those functions, more so that NWC offices are distributed mostly according to geopolitical zones.
So far, except, the National Secretary in the North East, there are no strong moves to replace the resigned officers with party members, either directly from their states or at least their zones.
Meanwhile, efforts to appoint a National Secretary to occupy the vacancy created by Buni’s election as Governor of Yobe has opened a new chapter of crisis in the APC over which state to take the slot.
This is sequel to the alleged rejection of the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole anointed candidate for the position of National Secretary, Waziri Bulama from Borno State, and this has since elicited fresh crisis.
The APC North/East Zonal Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, while addressing journalists after an acrimonious meeting of the NWC last week, maintained that it was unconstitutional and against the precedence of APC to move the office hitherto zoned to Yobe to Borno without involvement of stakeholders from the zone.
Salihu told journalists that, “I am here just to give you a brief of what transpired just now, the illegality that just transpired now. This has been prevalent in this party since Adams Oshiomhole took over.
“Yesterday, I held my zonal meeting and we agreed on how to go about the position of National Secretary. Behold, today Adams Oshiomhole ordained somebody from somewhere and said he is going to be the National Secretary.
“I want to tell you this is an illegality because of two things: number one, this party has set precedence, Babachir left, I replaced him from Adamawa State, Lai Mohammed left Bolaji replaced him from Kwara, Bolaji left Onilu replaced him from Kwara State”.
Recall that at the end of its meeting early last week, APC North/East Zonal Caucus said the vacant position of National Secretary has been micro-zoned to Borno and Yobe States and the two states involved had been directed to meet and endorse a candidate for the position.
The Caucus stated that the states will present the endorsed candidate for final confirmation during its next meeting, latest by next month (February) for final recommendation and presentation to the national leadership of the party.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the North/East APC frowned at a letter going round for the endorsement of a particular candidate for National Secretary.
“After exhaustive discussion on the progress and unity of our great party, the All Progressives Congress North East Zone hereby resolve as follows:
“That the APC North East zone frowns at and is not aware of a letter going round for the endorsement of a particular candidate for National Secretary purportedly said to be from the APC North East zone.
“That all issues pertaining to the National Secretary shall be discussed and thrashed at the state level and thereafter brought to the Zonal level for presentation to the National level as constitutionally provided”, the communiqué’ read in parts.
James Kwen, Abuja
