APC Gets New National Chairman Today

A new National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will emerge today, The Nation has learnt.

He will emerge as the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

The party’s second highest decision-making organ will appoint a substantive National Chairman to replace Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned recently on health grounds.

Various statutory organs of the party have been meeting ahead of the NEC meeting scheduled for 10 am on Thursday at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The National Working Committee (NWC), the highest administrative organ of the party, held a closed door meeting on Monday where the NEC meeting agenda was prepared and agreed upon.

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Though the outcome of the NWC meeting which lasted for two hours was not made public, a source in the Committee confirmed that the meeting deliberated essentially on the appointment of a new National Chairman and drew a timetable for the party’s forthcoming congresses ahead of next National Convention of the party.

Also, all the directors of the various departments of the party had a crucial and strategic meeting at the Villa on Monday to finalise the list of attendees at the meeting which will have the President, Vice President, members of the National Working Committee, the Senate President, his Deputy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, his deputy, all elected Governors of the party, Speakers of APC controlled State House of Assembly and others in attendance.

A follow-up and an enlarged meeting of the NWC and Forum of State Chairmen of the party took place at the party Secretariat on Tuesday.

The meeting, which was at the instance of the Acting National Chairman, Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori, The Nation gathered was to get the buying-in of the State Chairmen on the timetable for the forthcoming congresses ahead of the next National Convention.

The Nation also gathered that a similar meeting held between the NWC and the party’s governors’ Forum on Tuesday night at Asokoro, in Abuja.

A member of the NWC who spoke in confidence said: “We are prepared for the NEC meeting. Letters have been sent out to all the members of the committee, and the NWC has been meeting with other organs of the party in order to have a hitch free meeting on Thursday.”

When asked when the party’s caucus meeting will hold, our source simply said: “I am not sure of the caucus meeting. All our discussions either at the party Secretariat or with the Presidency have centered on the NEC meeting. I am afraid we are just going to have our NEC meeting.

“Mr. President and other leaders of the party and all NEC members have been invited, and the meeting will surely produce a substantive National Chairman that will replace our former Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.”

On the agenda of the meeting, our source said: ” I am not at liberty to divulge the agenda to you. All I know is that the appointment of National Chairman is the main focus, while other issues such as the congresses will be tabled at the meeting,” our source stated.

As of the time of filing the report, the big tent to host the NEC meeting is under construction at the open space of the Muhammadu Buhari House, the venue of the meeting.

NATION