Leadership crisis: All contentious issues will be resolved soon – APC Govs

…Seek presidential intervention, restate need for NEC meeting

…Say a political party never a perfect assembly

…Group protest, calls for dissolution of NWC, convocation of NEC

The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, has said that all contentious issues surrounding the leadership crisis confronting the All Progressives Congress (APC) will soon be reconciled.

Bagudu stated this when he addressed State House correspondents at the end of a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bagudu was accompanied to the State House by Governors Simon Lalong of Plateau State and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State.

He said the governors were in the State House to share with the president the Progressive Governors’ position on how best to address the lingering crisis facing the APC.

“Today, my brothers, the Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong and the Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru and myself visited President Muhammadu Buhari as our party leader, as the leader that millions of Nigerian trust, to discuss party issues and the position of the Progressive Governors to support all steps to unify and bring about peaceful resolution in our party the All Progressives Congress.

“The President listened to us attentively and discussed with us as a father, as a party leader and gave us all the assurance needed to know that resolution of contentious issues will soon be arrived at,” he said.

Bagudu, who is the governor of Kebbi State, described President Buhari as a democrat that allows all arms of the party to function according to the provisions of the party’s constitution.

“At all times, the President has shown that he is a democrat. He is not running the party; yes, he is the party leader but he allows the party’s organs to do and decide what should be done.

“He is very hesitant to use his standing even as party leader, talk less of his authority as President of the country to direct things,’’ he added.

According to the governor, in any political assembly, there are bound to be recurring issues because a political party is never a perfect assembly.

Bagudu agreed that it was necessary for the National Executive Committee of the party to meet as part of steps towards resolving the crisis.

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“I believe that whatever needs to be done including the possibility of calling any of the organs of the party that is necessary for the resolution of lingering issues will be done immediately.

“Let me again say that the party is never a perfect assembly.

“There will always be issues and that is why we talk, but yes certainly, organs of the party needs to meet and Mr. President without directing is always supporting the necessity of party organs meeting appropriately,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, a group of aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for immediate dissolution of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The group during a protest in Abuja on Monday accused the NWC of frivolous activities fueling the crisis and capable of destroying the party.

Addressing journalists outside the entrance of the APC national secretariat, the convener, Concerned APC Members, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said the only way to save the party is for the National Executive Committee (NEC) to take over administration of the party after NWC might have been dissolved.

The group said: “It is a matter of fact that the successes of our great party in the 2015 general elections is being bastardised on daily bases by those saddled with the responsibility of managing the party’s administration, the National Working Committee, NWC.

“The aims and objectives of the party is being bastardised, the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari is being destroyed, and his hard earned reputation is being dragged by the incessant activities of the National Working Committee of our Party.

“This present National Working Committee has caused us to lose seven (7) States to the opposition. APC had twenty four (24) Governors before the present National Working Committee, today, we have eighteen (18) Governors. Just yesterday (Sunday), the Deputy Governor of Ondo State just left us and joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Are we making progress or going backward?

“Today, we have four individuals who are members of the National Working Committee parading themselves as Acting National Chairmen of our party, what a dance of shame!

We are being ridiculed on a daily basis. The same Working Committee caused the party not to feature candidates in Zamfara and Rivers states in the 2019 general election.

“The uncoordinated activities of the National Working Committee has given rooms to the low esteemed opposition members to criticise our party and the government.

It is on record that no previous administration was able to achieve half of what President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has achieved in five (5) years, yet Mr. President is being distracted on a daily basis by the people who ought to protect his legacy”.

The Concerned APC Members said the party must do away with the present National Working Committee before it kills APC completely.

Ogenyi said: “We are calling on the highest decision making body, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of our great party, to immediately call for a NEC meeting and dissolve the National Working Committee with immediate effect.

“We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari whose integrity the party is still surviving, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of our great party, the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to support the dissolution of the present National Working Committee if we must move on as a party.

“We wish to unequivocally state that any attempt to further keep this National Working Committee as the Working Committee of the Party is to send the APC into its early grave. We shall not continue to fold our arms and allow our collective efforts being ruined”.