APC NEC Meeting: Ajimobi-Led NWC Plans Boycott, As VP Osinbajo Postpones Economic Council Meeting

The Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will boycott the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting convened by embattled Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom, despite the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to attend the meeting scheduled for Aso Rock.

President Buhari had, in a statement by media aide, Garba Shehu, declared support for Giadom as the legitimate acting national chairman of the party, stating that the law is on his side.

“The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman. Because he will always act in accordance with the law, the President will be attending the virtual meeting Giadom called for tomorrow afternoon,” he said.

But, in a statement jointly signed by the Acting National Chairman, Hilliard Eta, and Acting National Secretary, Waziri Bulama, in Abuja, on Wednesday, the NWC said the President Buhari was wrongly advised and blackmailed into agreeing to lend weight to illegality.

“We wish to unequivocally state that members of the National Working Committee believe that the President was offered wrong advice or blackmailed into lending his weighty office to the illegality of the National Executive Committee meeting purportedly convened by one Victor Giadom on 25th June, 2020,” the APC NWC said in the statement.

“We hereby respectfully implore Mr. President to kindly avail himself with facts of the matter regarding the impasse presently experienced by the Party so as to guide him in his assessment of the matter because we are sure that the President, if properly advised, would come to the conclusion that the meeting convened by Chief Victor Giadom bothers on illegality and criminality.

“The National Working Committee regrets to turn down the invitation to the illegal and unconstitutional National Executive Committee convened by Chief Victor Giadom.

“We believe that attending such a meeting will amount to embracing illegalities and turning a blind eye to the infractions on the Constitution of our great Party.”

In a related development, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo postponed the virtual meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) slated for Thursday.

In a notice of postponement to governors issued by Olusola Idowu, Secretary to the Council on Wednesday, Osinbajo said a new date for the 105th NEC meeting will be communicated later.

“The Chairman of Council, His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, has directed that the NEC virtual meeting earlier scheduled for Thursday, 25th June, 2020 has been postponed. A new date for the meeting will be communicated to you,” he said.

“Any inconvenience this postponement might have caused is highly regrettable.”