PBA ReporterTWO issues stand out from Senator Abdullahi Adamu’s sudden resignation from office as national chairman of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). One, the development has vindicated Dr. Saliu Lukman and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), who insisted that the former Nasarawa State governor “was not doing well.”
These “aligned” NWC members have even before and during the horsetrading leading up to the controversial presidential primaries of the ruling party moved for the removal of the chairman. Then, as was observed early Monday morning around the 40 Balantyre Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, headquarters of the party, and the Asokoro residence of the former chairman, a new wave of political intrigues and jostling for strategic positions in APC has begun.
As intrigues continue to fester, with call for urgent mini congress gathering steam, PBA reports that there are now three different camps within the APC’s NWC. A top presidential security aide who, on the orders of the President, allegedly carried out a subtle profiling of the Party’s leadership reportedly identified three camps – “aligned”, “non-aligned” and “Chairman” camps.
From the beginning, PBA gathered that some strong members of the NWC dissatisfied with Adamu’s leadership style, especially with regard to decisions he took before and after the APC primaries, were the ones who actually mounted so much pressure on him to quit.
Although the current acting Chairman, Kyari, did not take sides, he was reportedly also averse to the former Chairman’s leadership style. Sources told PBA that a few NWC members, now known as “Aligned” members, remained the arrowheads of the campaign for change of leadership leading finally to the resignation of the former Chairman and his Secretary. They are the Women leader, Dr Beta; National Vice Chairman (South South), Victor Giadom, his South West and North West counterparts, Salihu Lukman and Mustapha Salihu; National Organising Secretary, Seleiman Argungu and Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru.
Aligned NWC members are those opposed to the leadership of the former chairman and actually worked for his resignation, while “Non-Aligned” members did not support the former Chairman’s removal.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, was said to have only “joined the fray recently after the group and Mr President’s men reached out to him to call work on his men to accept the campaign to remove Adamu.”
READ ALSO: UPDATED: APC Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, Secretary Omisore Asked To Resign
Click on the link below for a full list of “Aligned” and “Non-aligned” members of the NWC, including those considered to be loyal to the former Chairman, Adamu, as Prime Business Africa’s investigation showed on Tuesday:
| NAME | POSITION | PRESENT ALLEGIANCE | PRINCIPAL |
| SEN ABU KYARI | DNC NORTH | NONALIGHNED | HE KASHIM SHETTIMA |
| HON EMMA ENEKU | DNC SOUTH | CHAIRMAN | HE HOPE UZODINMA |
| MUSTAPHA SALIHU Ph.D. | NVC NORTHEAST | ALIGHNED | |
| SALIHU LUKMAN | NVC SOUTHWEST | ALIGHNED | |
| VICTOR GIADOM | NVC SOUTH SOUTH | ALIGHNED | |
| DR IJEOMA | NVC SOUTH EAST | CHAIRMAN | HE HOPE UZODINMA |
| BAR ISAAC KEKEMEKE | NVC SOUTH WEST | NONALIGHNED | HE AKEREDOLU |
| HON MUAZU RIJAU | NVC NORTH CENTRAL | NONALIGNNED | SEN ABU SANI BELLO |
| HE SULEIMAN ARGUNGU | ORGANIZING SEC | NONALIGHNED | HE ATIKU BAGUDU |
| NZE CHIDI DURU | DEP ORG SEC | ALIGHNED | |
| MR FELIX MORKA | PUBLICITY SECRETARY | NONALIGNED | SEN OMOAGEGE |
| MR UGURU | NAT TREASURER | NONALIGNED | HE UMAHI |
| MR BASHIR GUMEL | FIN SEC | CHAIRMAN | HE BADARU |
| HON ALI KUMO | DEP FIN SEC | NONALIGNED | HE INUWA |
| BAR ELMARZUQ | LEGAL ADVISER | CHHAIRMAN | HE MASARI |
| SEN MAIKAFI | AUDITOR | NONALIGNED | ADAMU ADAMU |
| DR BETA | WOMEN LEADER | ALIGNED | |
| HON TOLU BANKOLE | PWD LEADER | NONALIGNED | DAPO ABIODUN |
| HON DAYO ISREAL | YOUTH LAEDER | NONALIGEND | HE SANWOLU |
| BAR FESTUS FAUNTER | DEPUTY SEC | NONALIGNED | HE LALONG |
| ZAINAB IBRAHIM | DEP WOMEN LEADER | CHAIRMAN | NONE |
The table above also shows what is regarded as the present allegiance of the NWC members so listed.
The suspense created by Adamu’s exit was however arrested by the Deputy National chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari, who promptly assumed office in a new capacity as acting national chairman in line with the APC constitutional stipulations.
The party’s constitution says the most senior member of the party from the zone that produces the national chairman should occupy the position in the event of incapacitation or resignation.
While some political analysts expect that Kyari’s ascension would be regularized during the planned but now indefinitely suspended National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, the majority of the NWC and NEC members are under pressure from the wider spectrum of the APC to immediately organize a mini congress with a view to seizing the present opportunity to correct the imbalances seen in its leadership structure following the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president.
While there are obvious signs that the position of Chairman will be retained by the North, there are speculations that Kyari might be appointed minister by the Tinubu Presidency, a situation that could warrant appointment of another chairman from the region during a mini congress now being anticipated in the party.
We are looking to “availing ourselves this opportunity provided by the resignation of Senator Adamu and Omisore to re-basket the offices to correct the errors of the past as well as the imbalances in our leadership structure; the Southeast, for instance, has been given the short end of the stick and this is an opportunity to correct it,” a leading member of the APC told our correspondent in Abuja.
Indeed, the issue of who steps into the shoe of former Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has become a bone of contention between Southeast and South/South members of the party. The office of the Secretary was originally zoned to the Southeast until the wave of horsetrading swung the pendulum to the South West before the emergence of Tinubu as the Party’s candidate in 2022. A source within the party disclosed that the proposed ratification would be for a short time, stressing that the party would not consider a candidate from the Southwest from where Omisore hails for the reason that it is President Bola Tinubu’s zone.
“They cannot get it, what would happen is that the most senior person from Southeast within the NWC should be considered for the post of interim secretary. I do not think South/South should be in the race, unless the Southeast fails to come up with a consensus candidate,” the source explained.
The three prominent members of the NWC from the Southeast are Hon. Nze Chidi Duru, who is the Deputy National Organising Secretary (DNOS), Chief Emmanuel Eneukwu, the Deputy National chairman, (South), and the National Treasurer, Uguru.
Authoritative sources hinted that the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Imo State chief executive, Senator Hope Uzodimma, is willing to have a say in who should replace Omisore from Southeast. Governor Uzodinma, who was very supportive of the former chairman (Adamu) during the primaries, is said to have pledged support for Adamu’s resignation when he was approached by the President’s camp a few weeks ago.
The situation in Southeast, therefore, throws up schemes by the APC governors to have a firm grip on the party structure, especially over what the NWC members led by Dr. Lukman, described as Adamu’s excesses.
The Kaduna State-born former Director General of the Progressives’ Governors Forum (PGF), emerged as Tinubu’s ‘eyes and ear’ in APC Secretariat after he moved against the APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) over the delay in holding the national convention.
Upon Lukman’s resignation from the position of DG PGF, Tinubu was said to have reached out to him assuring him of support in his zeal to sanitize the party.
It is generally believed among APC members that Lukman was the one who blew the lid on the alleged misappropriation of N32billion that was realized from the sales of expressions of intent and nomination forms.
Apart from Senator Adamu’s solo effort to impose the former President of Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the party in the run-up to the June 6-8, 2022 APC presidential primary, the allegation of mismanagement of the funds accentuated the call for the former national chairman’s exit.
It was gathered that the monies realized from sale of forms were to be distributed among the wards, state, zonal, state structures for the running of the party.
Although an audit was conducted after the elections, the NWC members described the process as phoneny and secretive, pointing out that only the former national chairman had knowledge of the contents of the report.
APC chieftains maintain that whatever comes out from the anticipated NEC meeting regarding the positions of acting national chairman and secretary, the anticipated mid term convention would ratify.
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