APC Crisis Deepens As Vice Chairman, Lukman Drags Adamu, Omisore To Court Over NEC Meeting, Writes Buhari

The National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman on Thursday dragged the National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore before a court over their refusal to convene a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

Lukman in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari explained why he dragged the duo to court.

According to Lukman, he had no option as they failed to heed his call to be guided by the party’s constitution.

The letter was addressed to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) through its chairman, Governor Atiku Bagudu, and Members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

Lukman who charged President Buhari to view the April 5 letter he (Lukman) wrote to Adamu, said he made nine demands seeking immediate compliance with the provisions of the party’s constitution bordering on accountability.

He said, “The ninth demand sought a demonstration of commitment to restore constitutional order in the party through the commencement of actions, inclusive of convening a meeting of the National Working Committee NEC within two weeks from April 5, 2023.

“On the expiration of the two weeks and action were taken to demonstrate any commitment to restore constitutional order within the party, on April 19, 2023, I wrote an open letter to Sen. Adamu with the subject ‘Restoring Constitutional Order in APC – Not Negotiable’, wherein I gave another one week within which steps should be taken to convene a meeting of our party’s National Executive Committee NEC before May 29, 2023.

“The seven days have expired on April 26, 2023, and, again, there is no indication of any action being taken to convene a meeting of NEC. The NWC is yet to meet on any of the issues raised.

“I have therefore proceeded to institute a legal action, seeking to compel Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. Iyiola Omisore being respectively APC National Chairman and National Secretary to comply with the requirements of running affairs of the party as enshrined in the provisions of the APC constitution”

Meanwhile, Lukman in the suit instituted at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday through his counsel, Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi. Esq., APC was listed as the first defendant while Adamu, Omisore and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were listed as the second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

Among the questions for determination are “whether, by the provisions of Articles 13.4 (iv) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants are not obligated to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (“NEC”) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present a quarterly financial report on income and expenditure of the APC to members of the National Executive Committee.

“Whether by the provisions of Article 13.4 (vi) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants are not obligated to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (“NEC”) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the Party offices at all levels, and procedure for selecting Party candidates for elective offices, including the selection and zoning of the leadership of the National Assembly to the members of the National Executive Committee”.

Upon the determination Lukman is therefore seeking among others, “a declaration that by the provisions of Articles 13.4 (iv) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants are under an obligation to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (“NEC”) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present quarterly financial report on income and expenditure of the APC to the members of the National Executive Committee”.

“A declaration that by the provision of Article 13.4 (vi) and 25.2 of the APC Constitution, the 1, 2 and 3rd Defendants are under an obligation to call for or cause to be called and held quarterly or at the request of one-third of members of the National Executive Committee (“NEC”) of the APC the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC at which the Defendants shall present proposed guidelines and regulations governing the conduct of elections to the Party offices at all levels, and procedure for selecting Party candidates for elective offices, including the selection and zoning of the leadership of the National Assembly to the members of the National Executive Committee.

“An order mandating/directing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Defendants to immediately call for or cause to be called and held the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC to present the activities of the Party from the date of the last NEC Meeting which was held on 28th April 2022 to the last meeting of the National Working Committee which held on 17th April 2023.”