The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) said on Tuesday that its former member Victor Giadom is not competent to call the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party.
National Vice-Chairman (Soutsouth) of the party Hillary Etta, who is standing in for acting National Chairman Senator Abiola Ajimobi, said after a NWC meeting on Tuesday wondered why Giadom, who is no longer a member of the party could claim to be calling a NEC meeting.
Etta said: “I sit here on behalf of Distinguished Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the acting Chairman of this party. If Victor Giadom is arranging a NEC, I believe that it is your responsibility as a member of the fourth estate of the realm to investigate his locus to find out whether he has the legal and the constitutional backing to be able to call a NEC meeting.
“As we speak, the membership of Chief Giadom has been suspended by a competent court of jurisdiction in Port Harcourt this afternoon. Not only is he not a member of the NWC from today, his membership of the APC has been suspended”.
Citing Article 25B(i and ii) of the APC Constitution (2014 as amended) gives the conditions precedent to summoning a NEC meeting, as: “The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-thirds of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.
“Without prejudice to Article 25(B)(i) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee may summon an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at any time, provided that at least seven days’ notice of the meeting shall be given to all those entitled to attend”.
Giadom on Tuesday issued a notice of NEC meeting for tomorrow at 12pm at an unnamed venue.
The notice by Giadom reads: “I Chief Victor Giadom, having been duly authorised by Court Order to Act as national chairman of our great party and to preside over all meetings of the NWC and NEC hereby and with the consent of the President Muhammadu Buhari, (who is the leader of our Party) reconvene the NEC meeting that was earlier billed to hold on the 17th of March, 2020, but was postponed. The reconvened meeting shall hold on Thursday, June 25th, 2020.
“In keeping strictly to the COVID-19 Guidelines, the postponed NEC shall hold by virtual means. The codes would be sent by text to the phone numbers of all NEC members.
Etta frowned at any attempt to refer to Ajimodi-led NWC as a faction of the NWC. “It is not right to refer to 17 members, with 15 of them physically present and two who met with us virtually as a faction. This is the National Working Committee of the APC.
“When you call him (Giadom) factional acting Chairman, we wonder why,” Eta queried.
Earlier in the day, the police, after five hours of surveillance on the APC national secretariat unsealed the party headquarters to party members and the public.
The Secretariat was sealed at about 10:30 am on the orders of Inspector General of Police with firm instructions not to allow all members of the National Working Committee (NWC) entrance into the early callers at the party secretariat including journalists were ordered out of the premises by the Police. They were allowed in later.
Even the Police men at the Secretariat did not yield on the arrival of Waziri Bulama, the acting national secretary, at about 12:30pm. He was told that he could not be allowed entry on orders from above.
He left the secretariat after making some calls.
The Police said it deployed personnel to the secretariat to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order.
Police spokesman Frank Mba said: “Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force have been deployed to the National Secretariat of the All Progressive Congress, located at Blantyre Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja. The deployment is a proactive move by the Force to maintain peace and ensure there is no breakdown of law and order at the Secretariat.
“The presence of police personnel at the Secretariat is not to seal-up the Complex as has been reported in some quarters but rather to prevent any untoward situation within and around the APC National Secretariat.
“Members of the APC as well staff of the secretariat are therefore at liberty to conduct their legitimate businesses, in and around the secretariat as always.”
