Politics

APC vice-chair: Adamu running one-man show, ignores NWC members

The All Progressives Congress National Vice Chairman, North-West, Salihu Lukman, has accused the APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, of failing to involve other party leaders in making decisions on the party’s activities.

Lukman said the members of the National Working Committee have been reduced to “rubber stamps”, adding that the meetings of the NWC were held without necessarily ensuring that existing constitutional provisions are respected.

The APC vice chairman said this via a statement issued on Monday, April 3.

Lukman, in a statement titled ‘APC and Questions of Progressive Credentials’, said the party’s leadership has failed to constitute its National Advisory Council (NAC) in the last one year.

He stressed that the critical functions of the NEC, which include approving the national budget of the party, have been ignored by Adamu.

The APC vice chairman said: “The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, which was vested with the responsibility of intervening ‘in all disputes and crisis in the party to ensure its stability’ was not inaugurated since the emergence of the party in July 2013.

“The party’s BoT was also given the constitutional responsibility of holding the properties of the party in trust and ‘act as Arbitrators and Mediators in disputes and ensure the enforcement of discipline in accordance with the Constitution of the Party’.

“The name of the party’s BoT has been changed to National Advisory Council (NAC) and its functions have been substantially reduced to advisory as the name implies at the March 28, 2022, National Convention.

“Even with that, there is hardly any ongoing discussion to constitute the party’s NAC in the last one year. By the provision of Article 13.2B.(i) ‘the National Secretary shall, not later than one month after an elective convention, convene the meeting of the National Advisory Council’.

“One year after assuming office, the National Secretary has never proposed any action towards the inauguration of NAC.

“So far, there was only one meeting of the party’s NEC on April 8, 2022. There was never any meeting of the National Caucus. Instead, meetings of the NWC hold without necessarily ensuring that existing constitutional provisions are respected.

“In the circumstance, critical functions of the NEC, which include approving the national budget of the party as provided in Article 13.3A(xiv) of the Party’s Constitution is simply ignored.

Lukman added that the NWC has yet to declare the amount inherited from the Mai Mala-led Caretaker Committee and the amount received as donations and contributions for the 2023 general election.

“Further, Article 13.3A(xv) of the party’s constitution directed the NWC to give quarterly financial reports to NEC. Also, Article 13.4(ii) direct the NWC to present reports and Article 13.4(iv) compel the NWC to present financial report on income and expenditure of the Party.

“All these have been ignored. Yet, it is public knowledge that the party has earned billions of Naira in revenue from sales of forms to aspiring contestants for the 2023 general elections.

“We are yet to, as NWC, declare to any organ of the party how much we inherited from His Excellency Mai Mala-led Caretaker Committee and how much was received as donations and contributions for the 2023 elections. Large-scale expenditure, which include the renovation of the National Secretariat complex are being undertaken without any organ of the party exercising the powers of due diligence,” the APC vice chairman stressed.

The Star