Tenure Elongation: APC NWC members begin gradual withdrawal from office

Apparently uncertain over their future status as national officers of the All Progressives Congress (APC), some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday were seen moving their personal belongings out of their offices at the party National Secretariat in Abuja.

The NWC members have been engaged in a fierce battle with some chieftains of the party over the legality of the motion by the National Executive Committee (NEC) to extend the tenure of the national and state executives of the party at all level.

But President Muhammadu Buhari has cut short their dreams when he faulted the extension bid during the last NEC meeting in Abuja.

Incidentally, the development has posed serious threat to the future of the members of the NWC, as many of the governors on the side of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had backed the President for conduct of congresses and elective convention.

While many of the APC governors had backed the NWC to continue for the next 12 months, other governors elected on the party platform and some chieftains of the party loyal to Tinubu canvassed for conduct of congresses and elective convention to replace the outgoing officials.

Citing party rule and the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to back up his claim, Buhari said : “While the APC constitution in article 17(1) and 13.2 (b) limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in section 223 also prescribed periodic election for party executives at regular intervals which must not exceed four years.

“Furthermore, article 31 of our great party’s constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest, or contest for another post, must resign from his current post at least one month before the election.

“In this circumstance, what is expected of us is to conduct fresh elections once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end. A caretaker committee cannot remedy this situation and cannot validly act in place of elected officers”.

Lost in confusion by the reality of an imminent conduct of congresses and the uncertainty of their future, the personal assistants to some of the NWC members were seen moving their personal belongings like portraits, documents among others items into their cars on Thursday.

Confirming the development, an official of the party at the national headquarters told The Daily Times that the haste to evacuate their personal effects was to avoid the embarrassment of the possibility of setting up a Convention committee during the emergency NEC meeting on Monday.

He said, “This week is their only chance for the NWC members to tidy up their offices since they are not sure of returning. Once NEC set up convention committee, the responsibilities of the NWC will be reduced to ceremonial.

“Don’t forget that they have just few months to operate here before some of them re-contesting will compulsorily resign as stipulated by the party constitution. So they technically have few months to function effectively and they don’t want to be reduced to inconsequential level once the emergency NEC meeting agrees on congresses and convention. It is obvious that they don’t want any embarrassment”.