Following nominations from zonal and state chapters, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is scheduled to reveal names to fill empty slots in the National Working Committee (NWC).
Visitodell reports that, following the departure of their predecessors, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore, former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje took over as national chairman and Senator Ajibola Basiru as national secretary last week.
Apart from Vice Chairman (Northwest), Saliu Lukman, and Legal Adviser, Ahmad El-Marzup, who both resigned, President Bola Tinubu nominated two NWC members – Senator Abubakar Kyari and Dr. Beta Edu – as ministers, while one member died.
According to The Nation, the new officers awaiting ratification by the National Executive Committee (NEC) include former Cross River State Commissioner for Local Government, Dr. Stella Odey-Ekpo (Women Leader); Borno State APC Chairman Ali Dalori (Deputy National Chairman, North); former Nasarawa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Prof. Abdulkarim Kana (Legal Adviser), former Abia State House of Assembly Speaker Martins Azubuike (Welfare Officer),
The decision to fill the positions was made in accordance with the National Executive Committee’s (NEC) instruction. It was learned yesterday.
According to a party source, following the NEC’s ceding of powers to the NWC at its August 3 meeting, and its directive to the administrative organ to fill the vacant positions, the States Executive Committee that produced the former officers nominated candidates for the vacancies in accordance with the directive.
According to the source, the seats were zoned prior to the April 2022 National Convention, in accordance with Article 31.5 of the APC Constitution, which outlines the procedures.
Article 31.5(i) reads:
“In case of a National/Zonal Officer, the State Executive Committee shall propose a replacement to the State Congress and Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement. Thereafter, the name shall be sent to the National Working Committee, which shall forward sane to the National Executive Committee for approval.”
According to sources, the Borno State chapter and the Northeast Executive Committee picked Dalori as Deputy National Chairman (North) to replace Kyari.
Odey-Ekpo was nominated by the Cross Rivers State chapter to replace Edu as the National Women Leader.
With the job of National Legal Adviser now designated to the North Central, it was learned that Nasarawa State was preferred to name a replacement for El-Marzuq, who resigned last week, following extensive deliberations with the region’s six states.
Azubuike will also succeed Friday Nwosu, the National Welfare Secretary who died in March.
Before retracing his steps, Ajaka, the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary, withdrew from the APC to run for governor on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, the Northwest has yet to name a replacement for Lukman, according to the source.
A member of NWC, who spoke in trust, said:
“Since NEC directed NWC to fill the remaining vacant six positions after the emergence of the new National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and Senator Ajibola Basiru as National Secretary, concerned state chapters and zones have been forwarding names for the new officers to fill the vacant positions.
“As of today (Wednesday), names for the replacement of five of the six vacant positions have been sent to the party for consideration and approval of NWC. It is hoped that the committee (NWC) will soon unveil the names of those that will fill the vacant positions very soon.”
