Buhari, Amaechi, El-Rufai, Osinbajo Absent – Five Key Takeaways from the APC NEC Meeting

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) held its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday, marking the first such meeting since President Bola Tinubu took office in 2023.

This meeting comes at a time when the party is facing significant internal challenges, with some prominent members openly criticizing both the party leadership and the Tinubu administration.

On Monday, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC NEC, criticized the party leadership. He alleged that the party had not held an NEC meeting in two years, despite the party’s constitution stipulating that these meetings should occur quarterly.

Many High-ranking Members Absent

Several high-profile APC members, including former President Muhammadu Buhari, were notably absent from the meeting, raising questions about the situation within the party. El-Rufai has been the only major APC figure to openly criticize the leadership, even meeting with other political parties amid rumors he may leave the party.

The absence of so many senior party members at the Wednesday meeting suggests that the internal challenges facing the APC might be more serious than initially thought.

In addition to Buhari and El-Rufai, other key figures missing from the meeting included former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, and former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Garba Shehu, the spokesperson for former President Buhari, told BBC Hausa that Buhari was informed of the meeting on Tuesday. He explained, "Even if he had a private jet, the former president still could not make it from Daura to Abuja in time for the meeting."

APC’s Debt

During the meeting, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje revealed that the party is facing a debt of over 8.6 billion naira ($5.7 million) due to various election-related legal battles. He also mentioned that the courts had placed garnishee orders on some of the party’s accounts due to the accumulated debt.

A garnishee order is a legal order that allows a bank to withdraw funds from a person's account to settle a debt, whether the person agrees or not.

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"The National Legal Adviser has been working to reduce the debt burden through dialogue and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, but we still appeal to the National Executive Committee to intervene. It’s important to note that some of our accounts remain garnished," Ganduje said.

Vote of Confidence for Tinubu

The NEC passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu’s administration following a motion introduced by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and seconded by former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

"Satisfied with the remarkable and commendable achievements of President Tinubu in less than two years in office, this esteemed body has passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu," Uzodimma said.

In response, President Tinubu expressed his gratitude for the support and accepted it as a challenge to work even harder.

New National Secretariat

Ganduje also requested President Tinubu’s assistance in acquiring land to build a new "befitting national secretariat" for the party. He mentioned that they had applied for land from the Federal Capital Territory Authority and hoped to build a secretariat that could adequately accommodate their national officers, the newly established Progressives Institute, and the three wings of the party.

In response, President Tinubu agreed that their current secretariat is too small and promised to discuss the matter with the relevant ministers. "I think the Minister of National Economic Planning is here. We will discuss it with the minister in charge, and we will do something about it," Tinubu assured.

Efforts at Reconciliation

Ganduje also stated that the party leadership has been making significant efforts to reconcile members who are dissatisfied with the party. He emphasized that these efforts have been yielding positive results.

"Through dialogue, we have initiated high-level discussions among party leaders and other stakeholders to resolve lingering differences between our members," Ganduje explained.

Additionally, the NEC ratified the leadership structure for the North-West region, where Ganduje hails from. This move is seen as an effort to discourage calls from some party members urging Ganduje to leave the national chairmanship and return the position to the North-Central region.