Tenure elongation: APC govs shun NWC consultative meeting

Governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Wednesday in Abuja shunned a consultative meeting scheduled to hold with the National Working Committee (NWC) at the party national Secretariat.

The Osun state Deputy Governor, Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, who was at the party national secretariat the appointed venue of the meeting at about 4: 25pm, expressed disappointment that the meeting was put off without proper communication to them.

“We came all the way from Osun and we were not told that the meeting has been postponed,” she told the party staff.

Wednesday’s consultative meeting was expected to fix a date for the party’s congresses and national convention slated to hold this year but majority of the governors did not turn up.

It was, however, gathered that most of the governors were not happy to participate in a meeting where the issue of tenure elongation will be conversed by Chief John Oyegun led NWC.

A source at the party house told our correspondent that the National Working Committee was planning to raise the issue of tenure elongation at the meeting but the governors got to know about it and declined to attend.

According to the source: “The governors were avoiding illegality of tenure elongation which the NWC is asking for, though they were pretending that the meeting was meant to fix date for the congresses and Mini Convention”.

However, when contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said: “The National chairman of the Party was not in town so the meeting could not hold. We shall fix a new date accordingly”.

Recall that the party’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi had told newsmen after the October National Executive Meeting (NEC) that the NEC had resolved to set up a small committee to put dates to the party activities in 2018.

Mallam Abdullahi said in October meeting: “It was agreed that since we have all these activities lined up, including the mini convention, congresses and elective convention, a small team has been set up to put dates to these party activities up to 2018. There was no discussion about election of 2019 or who will be the party flag bearer. The committee will decide when all these activities will take place”.

Tom Okpe, Abuja