APC Shelves Meeting with Governors

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed a consultative meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) and governors elected on the party’s platform.

The meeting meant to hold yesterday at the party national secretariat in Abuja, was however cancelled due to what a source said was the inability of most of the governors to attend.

A reliable source told THISDAY that the meeting was planned to be a major one that would have most of the governors in attendance due to the critical issues lined up for discussion.

For instance, the party leadership had proposed for discussion issues relating to the congresses and end of term at the national convention.

The meeting was to have explored ways of providing funds to execute the task given at the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Another issue that was expected to be discussed at the meeting was the proposal canvassed by some stockholders for a possible extension of the tenure of the current National Working Committee (NWC) led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to enable them conduct primaries for the 2019 elections.

But as at noon yesterday, the source said the National Chairman, Oyegun, directed that the meeting be cancelled following information received from many of the governors who expressed their inability to be in Abuja for the meeting.

The source said text messages were immediately sent out to all the NWC members informing them of the postponement of the meeting.

Only the Osun State Deputy Governor, Grace Titi Laoye-Tomori, who was seen entering the supposed venue of the meeting at about 4: 25p.m. yesterday, also expressed disappointment that the meeting was called off without proper communication to them.

“We came all the way from Osun State and we were not told that the meeting has been postponed,” she told to a party staff.

Yesterday’s consultative meeting was expected to fix a date for the party’s congresses and national convention slated to hold this year but majority of the governors did not show up.

When THISDAY asked the party’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, the reason for the cancelation of the meeting, he said he was not aware of what might have led to the postponement.

Abdulahi had told journalists after the October meeting that NEC had resolved to set up a small committee to put dates to the party activities in 2018.

He said: “It was agreed that since we have all these activities lined up, including the mini convention, congresses and elective convention, a small team be set up to put dates to these party activities up to 2018. There was no discussion about election of 2019 or who will be the party standard bearer. The committee will decide when all these activities will take place.”