President Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed the All Progressives Congress National Executive Council meeting for Friday.
However, the party’s National Working Committee is expected to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday (today) in Abuja.
The Peoples Democratic Party will also hold an emergency meeting today to deliberate on Saturday’s governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States, which they lost.
Also on Tuesday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike made a veiled reference to the APC’s victory in the Bayelsa governorship poll, saying Rivers would be the next target of the party by “the enemies”.
Our correspondent learnt that the APC’s emergency meeting was aimed at setting agenda for the National Caucus meeting on Thursday.
A top member of the party told our correspondent on Tuesday that the NWC meeting “is strategic” as it would lay the foundation for deliberations at the caucus meeting.
Vacant leadership positions in the party are also expected to be on the front burner as new occupants could emerge this week subject to ratification by the NEC.
The source said, “We are meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to set agenda for the caucus meeting because some of us (NWC members) are not members of the national caucus so have we have to lend our voice to the position that will be taken to the caucus meeting.”
Another NWC member confirmed to our correspondent that zonal chairmen had been asked to come with the names of candidates for the vacant positions in their zones for deliberation first at the NWC meeting, then at the caucus meeting.
“The positions have been zoned and micro-zoned to states but we have a situation that lobbying has been intense to jettison the arrangement so the caucus is playing a key role in the final outcome before the ratification by the NEC,” the source said.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, could not be reached on his mobile line on Tuesday for comment.
He had also yet to respond to a text message on the agenda of the meeting as of the time of filing this report.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday confirmed the party’s meeting in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan said, “We have not held a meeting. We are going to hold a meeting tomorrow.”
Wike, who spoke when a delegation of Amayanabo of Wakrike Kingdom of Okrika visited him in Port Harcourt, said, “Unfortunately, one of our states is gone to the enemies. But God will help us.
“For us who are from Rivers State, we should know that there will be attack on us because the enemy has entered our territory. They will attack us, but with your prayer, Rivers State will prevail.”
Also on Tuesday, ex-Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose condemned the conduct of the Kogi and Bayelsa polls.
Fayose, who spoke through his media aide, Lere Olayinka, said,“What happened in the two states was clear war and allocation of figures. What happened in Kogi and Bayelsa was open to all Nigerians to see.”
_____
Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng
Copyright 2019 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant source.
