The crisis of confidence in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, took another twist on Friday as indications emerged that most state chapters of the party are now at loggerheads with the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee, NWC, over disagreements regarding the allocation of funds realized from the sale of forms.
Although APC was said to have realized at least N30 billion from the sale of nominations and expression of interest forms for the 2023 general elections, it was gathered that the party paid N20 million each into the coffers of the state chapters.
“The state chapters are now complaining that they should have gotten at least N100 million from the funds realized from the sale of forms”, said a party official.
Consequently, some of the chapters are said to be threatening to return the N20 million sent to them by the party hierarchy.
“You would recall that this NEC loaned the Osun state chapter about N3 billion for the last governorship election in that state. I don’t know if the money has been paid back, but the state chapters are now angry that they were given just N20 million from the billions of Naira realized from the sale of forms. They are threatening to return the money to the party”, he said. Meanwhile, in serial violation of its own regulations, the APC is currently operating on autopilot following its inability to convene a meeting of its National Executive Committee NEC to review the powers of the NWC and also ratify its presidential campaign council.
The APC NEC had on April 20 this year delegated its powers to the NWC to act on its behalf for the next 90 days. Announcing the decision, National Secretary of the party, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, disclosed that while the motion was moved by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai seconded the motion.
El-Rufai was said to have added a caveat that the NEC must meet at the end of the 90 days to review its own decision.
While the 90-days lapsed on July 20, the NEC was supposed to have met around that period.
However, the NWC had consequently taken a decision to convene a NEC meeting within September, but the current crisis regarding the composition of the campaign council has made the party unable to hold its NEC. (Vanguard)
