The crisis in All Progressives Congress got messier as the Senator Abiola Ajimobi- led National Working Committee (NWC) said former National Deputy Secretary Victor Giadom lacks the power to convene an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.
Giadom has called for an emergency NEC meeting on Thursday in an undisclosed venue by 12noon.
Reacting to the development after a NWC meeting at the National Secretariat in Abuja, Hon. Hillard Etagbo Eta, who stood in for Senator Ajimobi, the acting National chairman, said Giadom lacks the locus to call such a meeting.
“I sit here on behalf of Distinguished Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the acting Chairman of this party. If Victor Giadom is arranging a NEC, I believe that it is your responsibility as a member of the fourth estate of the realm to investigate his locus to find out whether he has the legal, constitutional backing to be able to call a NEC meeting.
“As we speak, the membership of Chief Victor Giadom has been suspended by a competent court of jurisdiction in Port Harcourt this afternoon. Not only is he not a member of the NWC from today, but his membership of the APC has also been suspended”.
Citing Article 25B (i and ii) of the APC Constitution (2014 as amended) which states the conditions for summoning a NEC meeting, Eta said; “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-thirds of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.
“Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend”.
The APC boss frowned at any attempt to refer to Ajimobi -led NWC as a fraction of the NWC.
“It is not right to refer to 17 members, with 15 of them physically present and two who met with us virtually as a faction. This is the National Working Committee NWC of the APC in Nigeria.
“When you call him (Giadom) factional acting Chairman, we wonder why,” Eta stated.
In a notice of meeting signed by Giadom, he claimed to have called the NEC meeting with consent of President Muhammadu Buhari and full authorisation by the court, which empowers him to act as National Chairman.
The notice by Giadom reads: “I Chief Victor Giadom, having been duly authorized by Court Order to Act as National Chairman of our great party and to preside over all meetings of the NWC and NEC hereby and with the consent of the President Muhammadu Buhari, (who is the leader of our Party) reconvene the NEC meeting that was earlier billed to hold on the 17th of March, 2020, but was postponed. The reconvened meeting shall hold on Thursday, June 25th, 2020.
“In keeping strictly to the COVID-19 Guidelines, the postponed NEC shall hold by virtual means. The codes would be sent by text to the phone numbers of all NEC he members.”