APC NEC Meeting In Crisis As Ex-Govs Back Saraki, Dogara

The crisis rocking the APC may worsen after its much anticipated National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Friday, as all indications point to likely tough exchanges between various interest groups within the party, in what has been described as political fireworks, which could lead to a stalemate.

This is fuelled by the belief that some former governors, who are members of the party, and a group of Northern stakeholders in the party have resolved to defend the elections of both Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Reps.

Friday's NEC meeting is expected to be attended by President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker, House of Reps, Senate Leader, APC state governors, NWC members and APC state chairmen.

Other prominent leaders of the party expected at the meeting are

National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Ogbonaya Onu and other leaders.

THISDAY learnt that the former governors of the party met during the week and agreed not only to back the emergence of Saraki and Dogara as the Senate President and Speaker of the House but also to strongly advocate the restructuring of the party along the line of legacy parties.

This decision, THISDAY learnt, was spurred by the perception of the ex-governors as well as some Northern leaders that the protracted crisis in the National Assembly is being orchestrated from only the South-west chapter of the party.

There is the belief that the opposition to the leadership in the National Assembly is being championed by Bola Tinubu whose preferred candidates lost out in the struggle for the leadership of the legislature.

Many suspect that the NEC meeting may seek to remove the elected leadership in the senate, a development which could pose some legal problems to the party given the fact that the senate leadership which has fully crystalised had gone through the normal legislative processes.

Any form of alteration to the emerged leadership structure can therefore be through impeachment which has to be done by two-thirds members of the senate.

It was further learnt that the former governors, who are vehement in their resolve, have decided to force their way into the venue of the meeting today on the grounds that if a National Leader, Tinubu, who is also a former governor, is allowed in, there is no reason they should be denied entry.

The former governors are also insisting that there is no provision in the constitution of APC which accords any recognition to the position of a National Leader with the argument that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

Hence, they said if Tinubu, who is their colleague is allowed in, they also possess the qualification to be part and parcel of the meeting.

However, one of the former APC governors, Dr. Kayode Fayemi who spoke to THISDAY last night denied knowledge of any plot to storm the NEC meeting or move against Tinubu.

"We are not members of NEC and I am not aware of any plan to attend the NEC meeting by former governors in the party. You know there are former governors and there are former governors."