As part of a last-ditch strategy to force the party’s hand to conduct congresses and elect new party executives, as demanded by President Muhammadu Buhari, some All Progressives Congress governors are scheming to manipulate existing party procedures by backdating a letter to members of the powerful National Executive Committee (NEC), according to Premium Times.
Premium Times reports that the governors have compelled the party’s national secretary, Mala Buni, to dispatch an invitation letter calling an urgent NEC meeting on Monday, April 9.
At a meeting Wednesday, the governors appealed to party officials to abide by the president’s advice and allow new elections, even as a technical committee set up to guide the party out of its current logjam was yet to submit its report.
The committee’s chairman is Simon Lalong, Plateau State governor, and its members include Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Some members however, pointed out that this apparently pre-emptive move would amount to a violation of the party’s constitution which forbids a decision from being taken on an issue that has already been referred to a committee by the NEC. Article 18 (iv) of the party constitution says:
“Where the National Executive committee has set up a Standing or Ad hoc committee(s) or has assumed jurisdiction on any issue, no organ of the Party shall deliberate upon and or set up a similar or parallel Committee.”
“The governors wanted to pre-empt the Lalong committee which they fear may not support their position. Therefore, they had come prepared to muscle the NWC into agreeing with them to make a joint statement that the meeting had decided to proceed with congresses.
“But when this aspect of the constitution was pointed out to them, they decided to change tactics and began to push for an immediate NEC meeting to ratify the new position,” said a source at the meeting that the governor’s desperation stems out of Mr Buhari’s planned holiday in London starting from Monday April 9.
“The governors did not want such major decision to be taken in the president’s absence,” the source said. “So, they were desperate to hold a NEC meeting before he travels.”
But the governors seem more concerned about another section of the APC constitution which addresses how NEC could be convened.
Article 25B(ii) says: “National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven (7) days notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend.”
Apparently realising that they cannot meet the mandatory seven days between Wednesday and Monday, the governors asked the party’s National Secretary, Mr. Buni, to backdate the letter inviting members to the meeting, to April 3, as against April 4 when it was actually written.
This was aimed give the impression that invitation had been on the way since Tuesday, when, in actual fact, the letter had not been signed as at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday. (Premium Times)