Crisis: APC NEC Meets On Friday
By Rotimi Akinwunmi, Abuja
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will on Friday make another attempt at resolving the festering crisis that followed the ‘palace coup’ that ocurred during the National Assembly leadership election of June 9.
The meeting followed several failed attempts by various arms of the party, including one by President Muhammadu Buhari to reconcile the warring factions, especially after last Thursday’s brawl in the House of Representatives.
As a sign that the crisis is real, APC caucuses in the House of Representatives met again on Monday in Abuja to discuss the lingering issue of zoning of the Principal Officers, which degenerated into fisticuffs in the lower parliament last week.
At the end of the meeting of the South West zonal caucus, Daily Independent gathered that members from resolved to close ranks and work together. This may not hold however, as loyalists of Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Suleiman Lasun, were reportedly absent.
The APC’s National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, said last week that series of meetings would be held by different organs of the party to bring about a lasting solution to the evolving ugly developments among its members in the National Assembly.
Buni, who is also a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), added that apart from the NEC meeting, other organs of the party like its Board of Trustees (BOT) and the National Caucus would also meet this week.
Still on Friday’s APC NEC meeting, he told in Daily Independent on Monday, that “the party is full of hope that the deliberations we are going to have at the Friday’s meeting will bring about an end to the crisis we’ve found ourselves in recent time”.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the presidency of engaging in propaganda, rather than tackling issues raised in its earlier statement on the perceived slow start to governance by the APC-led presidency.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in response to a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, also accused the presidency of planning to prosecute its members in an anti-corruption war.
The party, while expressing fear of prosecution, vowed that it would not be cowed “by threats and wild allegations by the Presidency into abdicating its responsibility of speaking out as an opposition party where the system is derailing.”
The PDP’s stance is perceived as apprehension over the avowed commitment of President Mohammadu Buhari to carry out complete fight against corruption and implement his anti-corruption wars to the latter.
The party fears that its members may be soft targets for the presidency in its bid to prosecute the anti-corruption war.
According to Metuh, “instead of addressing the issues raised, the Presidency descended to insults, abuses and innuendos, a stance which not only bears out the case made by the PDP but also raises questions about the capacity of this administration to shoulder the enormous responsibility of governance.
“While we expect the present administration to be serious about the fight against corruption, probe and persecute each and everyone involved in such, irrespective of their party leaning, we restate that these must be done within the ambits of the law and must not be used as a witch-hunt ostensibly to discredit and undermine the opposition. We, therefore, caution against the current drama of politicising the issue of corruption in the country,” he added.
Continuing, Metuh drew the President’s “attention to the fact that while he is busy clearing his imaginary mess on the pages of newspapers, some persons claiming closeness to him have in the last 30 days been piling up sleazes that also need his attention in key agencies of government.
“Despite the absence of approving and supervising officials, key income generating institutions like NNPC, NIMASA, NPA, FIRS and other strategic agencies have been invaded by persons claiming to be friends and associates of the President and this puts to question the sincerity and seriousness of the administration to affect the so-called change upon which they rode to power.
“Auxiliary to this is the issue of the construction of a helipad, amongst various expenses and other major government expenditure going on across board in the last one month and without due supervision as the eyes of the President cannot be everywhere.”
The current crisis and the inability of the presidency to appoint key government functionaries may not be viewed with levity by political watchers, more so as Metuh rhetorically questioned the development.
He wonders whether “the so-called clearing of mess (is) responsible for his inability after 90 days of winning an election to make up his mind on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff and his demand for 15 Special Advisers as approved by the PDP controlled Seventh Assembly since June 5, 2015?”
By Rotimi Akinwunmi, Abuja
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will on Friday make another attempt at resolving the festering crisis that followed the ‘palace coup’ that ocurred during the National Assembly leadership election of June 9.
The meeting followed several failed attempts by various arms of the party, including one by President Muhammadu Buhari to reconcile the warring factions, especially after last Thursday’s brawl in the House of Representatives.
As a sign that the crisis is real, APC caucuses in the House of Representatives met again on Monday in Abuja to discuss the lingering issue of zoning of the Principal Officers, which degenerated into fisticuffs in the lower parliament last week.
At the end of the meeting of the South West zonal caucus, Daily Independent gathered that members from resolved to close ranks and work together. This may not hold however, as loyalists of Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Suleiman Lasun, were reportedly absent.
The APC’s National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, said last week that series of meetings would be held by different organs of the party to bring about a lasting solution to the evolving ugly developments among its members in the National Assembly.
Buni, who is also a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), added that apart from the NEC meeting, other organs of the party like its Board of Trustees (BOT) and the National Caucus would also meet this week.
Still on Friday’s APC NEC meeting, he told in Daily Independent on Monday, that “the party is full of hope that the deliberations we are going to have at the Friday’s meeting will bring about an end to the crisis we’ve found ourselves in recent time”.
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the presidency of engaging in propaganda, rather than tackling issues raised in its earlier statement on the perceived slow start to governance by the APC-led presidency.
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in response to a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, also accused the presidency of planning to prosecute its members in an anti-corruption war.
The party, while expressing fear of prosecution, vowed that it would not be cowed “by threats and wild allegations by the Presidency into abdicating its responsibility of speaking out as an opposition party where the system is derailing.”
The PDP’s stance is perceived as apprehension over the avowed commitment of President Mohammadu Buhari to carry out complete fight against corruption and implement his anti-corruption wars to the latter.
The party fears that its members may be soft targets for the presidency in its bid to prosecute the anti-corruption war.
According to Metuh, “instead of addressing the issues raised, the Presidency descended to insults, abuses and innuendos, a stance which not only bears out the case made by the PDP but also raises questions about the capacity of this administration to shoulder the enormous responsibility of governance.
“While we expect the present administration to be serious about the fight against corruption, probe and persecute each and everyone involved in such, irrespective of their party leaning, we restate that these must be done within the ambits of the law and must not be used as a witch-hunt ostensibly to discredit and undermine the opposition. We, therefore, caution against the current drama of politicising the issue of corruption in the country,” he added.
Continuing, Metuh drew the President’s “attention to the fact that while he is busy clearing his imaginary mess on the pages of newspapers, some persons claiming closeness to him have in the last 30 days been piling up sleazes that also need his attention in key agencies of government.
“Despite the absence of approving and supervising officials, key income generating institutions like NNPC, NIMASA, NPA, FIRS and other strategic agencies have been invaded by persons claiming to be friends and associates of the President and this puts to question the sincerity and seriousness of the administration to affect the so-called change upon which they rode to power.
“Auxiliary to this is the issue of the construction of a helipad, amongst various expenses and other major government expenditure going on across board in the last one month and without due supervision as the eyes of the President cannot be everywhere.”
The current crisis and the inability of the presidency to appoint key government functionaries may not be viewed with levity by political watchers, more so as Metuh rhetorically questioned the development.
He wonders whether “the so-called clearing of mess (is) responsible for his inability after 90 days of winning an election to make up his mind on rudimentary appointments such as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff and his demand for 15 Special Advisers as approved by the PDP controlled Seventh Assembly since June 5, 2015?”
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