Buni takes over as APC NEC dissolves National Working Committee, supports Ize-Iyamu for Edo election

APC
Governor Mai Mala Buni (left); President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors and members of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress and other members of the National Executive Committee at Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, June 25, 2020

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Council (NEC) has dissolved its National Working Committee (NWC).

The party reached the decision at its NEC meeting held on Thursday, with President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and state governors among other APC leaders in attendance.

This was in compliance with the recommendation of President Muhammadu Buhari, to dissolve the party’s NWC and appoint a caretaker committee.

The crisis in the party got to the peak last week Tuesday, after the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja upheld an Abuja High Court ruling suspending the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, from the party.

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But following this development, 17 members of the NWC who are Oshiomhole’s loyalists appointed a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as acting chairman, in an emergency meeting on the evening of the same day.

However, Victor Giadom, in a counter move, supported by two other NWC members, declared himself as the acting national chairman during a press conference addressed a press conference on June 17, backing his action with the March ruling of an Abuja High Court, which gave him the go-ahead to be the acting national chairman.

Giadom, not minding subsequent two court rulings in Port Harcourt, suspending him, and upholding his replacement as the deputy national secretary, on Tuesday, gave a notice of the APC NEC meeting, for Thursday (today), which the Ajimobi-led NWC opposed, saying he has been suspended.

However, President Buhari acknowledged the receipt of the meeting notice, but which the Ajimobi-led NWC said it won’t honour.

Meanwhile, after the APC NEC dissolved its NWC at the Thursday meeting, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, was appointed as the head of the APC caretaker committee and chairman of the extraordinary convention.

The Buni-led Caretaker Committee will run the affairs of the party for six months.

Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, who is also the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, disclosed this in an interview with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the party’s NEC.

Bagudu said after six months, the committee is expected to convene a convention that will produce new leadership.

Buni speaking on the party crisis as the new APC Caretaker Chairman, said, “Nobody is happy with the situation under which party has been operating. This decision was taken by NEC to address these issues, nobody is being targeted and it’s against nobody.”

Also, the APC NEC ratified the Edo State governorship primary which produced Pastor Ize Iyamu as its governorship candidate, while the President also directed that all party members should discontinue all ongoing court cases as they affect the party.