… Ganduje decries legal liability
BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
Notable founding members and former top political office holders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were conspicuously absent at the first National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja in Wednesday. It was the first of such meeting since President Bola Tinubu assumed office almost 21 months ago.
Those absent include the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, his vice, Yemi Osinbajo and several others who were not at the Buhari House national secretariat, Abuja.
Other top shots include former governors; Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Mallam Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, among many others.
The curiosity over their absence was because as statutory members of the party’s NEC they were expected to be in attendance.
While no reason was given for their absence, it was, however speculated that many of them were held back by tight office schedule.
The chances of President Bola Tinubu re-contesting his position in 2027 received a major boost during the party’s NEC meeting as participating members gave him an overwhelming vote of confidence with a revibrating endorsement of “no vacancy at Aso Rock” after singing the usual song of “On Your Mandate We Shall Stand”, on his arrival at the meeting.
Interestingly, President Tinubu, concurred with a broad smile all through while the deafening song took over the airwaves, did not make any attempt to stop the song.
Speaking, the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, lamented that his administration inherited a whooping sum of N8.987 billion legal liabilities.
He narrated that the liability amount ranged from legal engagements during the pre-election matters, election cases and appeals for legislative, governorship and presidential elections.
Ganduje also requested for a new national secretariat building, saying: “As part of the commitment to secure and own a national secretariat complex befitting of a ruling party and one that would conveniently accommodate our national officers, the newly established Progressive Institute as well as the three wings of the party, we have formally applied for a land at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) that will drive this project.
“May I therefore appeal for the kind intervention of Mr President for this project to materialise,” Ganduje pleaded.
The incumbent governors in attendance include Edo, Ondo, Benue, Ekiti, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Yobe, Kogi, Ogun, Niger, Jigawa, among others.
Abdul Aziz Yari of Zamfara State, his Kebbi counterpart and Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Kogi, Yahaya Bello, Zamfara, Bello Mattawalle, were among the former governors in attendance.
Also present during the meeting include Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,
Former deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, and other principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers, among others.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President, Goodwill Akpabio, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas equally took part in the meeting.
