By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja
The disaster of management within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, deepened on Wednesday because the National Vice Chairman, Northwest, Salihu Lukman, issued a one-week ultimatum to the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to render a financial account of the National Working Committee, NWC, and convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, or danger a lawsuit.
In an open letter addressed to Adamu and titled ‘Restoring Constitutional Order in APC, Not Negotiable’, Lukman recalled how he had earlier written formally to the social gathering chairman, outlining a number of constitutional calls for.
He stated; “I make this an open letter as a result of it’s about campaigning to return the APC to its basis, which requires that we mobilize all like-minded social gathering leaders and members on this campaign to revive constitutional order within the APC.
“As an individual, I’ve concluded that all the things have to be accomplished to compel you to respect the structure of our social gathering and handle its affairs based mostly on the necessities of our structure and never your private discretion.
“Therefore, by this open letter, I’m serving you discover of 1 week from right this moment, Wednesday, April 19, 2023 to take all the suitable steps required to convene an NEC meeting earlier than May 29, 2023, whereby all the problems bordering on the administration of clean transition between the outgoing authorities of President Buhari and the incoming authorities of President Asiwaju Tinubu will be thought-about.
“If by the end of this one-week notice, no action is taken to convene an NEC meeting as the first step to restoring constitutional order in APC, I will not hesitate to take further actions, including approaching our courts to enforce compliance with the provisions of our party’s constitution under your leadership”.
Lukman stated he had on April 5 formally written Adamu on the topic, ‘Restoring Constitutional Order in APC: Demands’.
According to him, the letter outlined 9 calls for as follows:
“In line with the supply of Article 13.4(ii) of the APC Constitution current report of actions for the final yr to the NWC.
“In line with the supply of Article 13.4(iv) of the APC Constitution current a financial report on the earnings and expenditure of the social gathering for the final yr.
“In line with the supply of Article 13.3A(xiv) of the APC Constitution put together a nationwide finances for the social gathering for the interval May – December 2023, which needs to be ratified by the NWC for the consideration and approval of NEC.
“In line with provisions of Article 13.4(vi) of our social gathering Constitution, which directs the NWC to ‘propose electoral guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to party offices at all levels, and procedure for selecting Party candidates for elective offices’, the NWC ought to instantly develop a proposal to zone management positions for the 10th National Assembly and current to NEC for consideration and approval.
“Hold a NEC meeting earlier than May 29, 2023, and 1 – 4 above needs to be a part of the agenda of the NEC.
“Submit the audited account of the social gathering for 2022 that was submitted to INEC to the NWC.
“Set up a committee to evaluation the 2023 normal elections and examine instances of anti-party actions by leaders and members of the social gathering.
“Given the shameful consequence of the Osun 2022 Governorship election and the embarrassing consequence of the 2023 normal elections in Osun State whereby we misplaced all of the three Senatorial seats, all of the House of Representatives seats and all of the House of Assembly seats within the state, the National Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore who’s essentially the most senior social gathering chief within the state ought to instantly resign. In addition, the NWC ought to advocate to NEC {that a} high-powered reconciliation committee needs to be set as much as facilitate the reconciliation of all social gathering leaders in Osun state.
“In order to demonstrate the commitment that we are going to restore constitutional order in the party, actions should commence on all these and NWC should meet within the next two weeks from today, Wednesday, April 5, 2023, to review progress”.
He stated two weeks because the calls for had been introduced, there was neither acknowledgement nor indication that any of the calls for are being thought-about.
Lukman conceded that though the NWC met on Monday, April 17, 2023, its deliberation was restricted to ratifying the social gathering’s Governorship candidates for Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States for onward transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
He stated as a member of the NWC, he’s scandalized and embarrassed that after one yr in workplace, the NWC is but to have common NEC, National Caucus or National Advisory Council (NAC) conferences.
“All the features of those organs and the selections anticipated from them by the structure are being taken by you, maybe in session with the National Secretary. When it fits you, the NWC is invited to ratify or approve a few of your actions and choices. As a member of NWC, now we have by no means had any session the place we had been invited to contemplate any report of exercise within the final yr. Yet, Article 13.4(ii) of our structure requires that the NWC submits quarterly studies to NEC. We have by no means deliberated on any financial report even when Article 13.4(iv) requires that we current quarterly financial studies to NEC. We have by no means deliberated on a nationwide finances though Article 13.3A(xiv) requires that we current one to NEC and get approval.
“Perhaps, the shortcoming to carry quarterly NEC conferences as offered beneath Article 25.2(i) of the social gathering’s structure will be the excuse for not having quarterly studies of actions, quarterly financial studies, and nationwide budgets. It can be argued that the issue of the shortcoming to carry quarterly NEC conferences go manner again to the period of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and is partly chargeable for the disaster of management throughout the tenure of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. By extension, it could possibly be argued too that the tradition of operating affairs of the social gathering based mostly on the discretionary choices of the National Chairman didn’t begin with the present NWC.
“With you because the National Chairman, an skilled politician and educated in political jurisprudence, the query of the legality of discretionary choices throughout the jurisdiction and scope of points NEC is empowered by our structure to take choice needs to be very clear. Because you may have chosen to solely run affairs of the social gathering based mostly on your private discretion, you may have dedicated us to sack our former Directors and appointing new ones with out inviting even the NWC to deliberate on it. To the perfect of my information, all that I might recall is that NWC determined to ship all the previous Directors on obligatory go away. At no time did the NWC resolve that their appointments needs to be terminated, and new ones needs to be employed. Assuming the social gathering’s structure lets you rent and hearth all of the employees of the social gathering, the structure of the social gathering beneath Article 13.4(ii) has compelled you to current that as a part of the quarterly studies to NEC.
“With respect to the nationwide finances, the closest we got here to was when April 8, 2022, NEC permitted the fee for nomination kinds for the 2022 elections. No proposed expenditure of any form was introduced to any organ of the social gathering other than the finances for the June 2022 National Convention, which was introduced to the NWC on the eve of the June 2022 National Convention. Similarly, no report has been rendered to any organ together with the NWC about any income obtained by the social gathering. It is nevertheless speculated within the media that the social gathering was capable of generate over N30 billion from gross sales of nomination kinds to aspiring candidates for the 2023 elections. Our state buildings and different decrease organs, which statutorily are entitled to shares of the social gathering’s income are given very negligible quantities with out permitting any organ of the social gathering, together with the NWC to make enter into what was paid to the states.
“Large scale financial expenditure is being undertaken with none organ of the social gathering together with the NWC allowed to carry out any type of statutory due diligence. The National Secretariat has been present process massive scale renovation and each the prices and particulars of the contract will not be offered to any organ of the social gathering together with the NWC. Without a nationwide finances permitted by NEC as required by our structure, all choices on financial expenditure are restricted to your benevolent disposition.
“Unfortunately, because this is the reality, there are party members who have rendered services during the process of nominating candidates for the 2023 elections that are yet to be paid their entitlements. There is also the decision to refund party members who bought nomination forms to contest for position of party leadership during the March 28, 2022 National Convention that elected us but were asked to stepped down to facilitate our emergence as consensus candidates, but are yet to be refunded”, he added.
Vanguard recollects that on December 26, 2022, Lukman had additionally written Adamu on the topic “Democracy and Accountability: Concerns about State of Affairs of APC”.
In the letter, he had stated; “The current NWC under your leadership should stop acting as a Trojan Horse programmed to destroy our party. Only compliance with and respect for our constitution by allowing all our superior organs, notably NEC, National Caucus and NAC, to function and take decisions accordingly, which should be binding on all party leaders and members can secure our party. This is not negotiable!”
Although Adamu, who’s reportedly exterior the nation couldn’t be reached through his identified phone strains, the National Publicity Secretary of the social gathering, Felix Morka would additionally not reply to calls or messages looking for his response to Lukman’s newest outburst.
