Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Acting National Secretary, Victor Giadom, has boasted that the proposed APC emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Tuesday March 17, is sacrosanct.
Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting on Thursday, Giadom insisted that despite whatever might be the outcome of the legal hurdles and hostilities against the NEC meeting, it will go on as planned.
While responding to the update concerning the NEC meeting, he said: “As NWC, we just concluded our meeting and I just want to inform the public that the emergency meeting scheduled for the March 17 will still hold.
“I want to also assure stakeholders and Nigerians that every preparation towards that meeting is in top gear. I want to also use this opportunity to invite all NEC members to attend the meeting,” he noted.
On whether the NWC has secured the consent of President Muhammadu Buhari to attend the meeting, he said:
“Well, that is for us in the party and I won’t want to discuss the issue of whether he will attend in the media, but I can tell you that every member of NEC is prepared to attend this meeting.”
Asked if he is aware of the court order insisting that certain persons must be part of the NEC meeting, he replied:
“Not to my knowledge.”
“As for our plan B if it comes, I will say that we will like to see the court order and if that happens we fall back to our Constitution. We will take it up from that point,” he said.
Meanwhile, strong indication emerged on Thursday that the days of the party’s National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, seem to be numbered as he has been removed from the billboards and posters conspicuously displaced at the national Secretariat of the party.
As at Wednesday night, the massive billboards jointly bearing the pictures of President Buhari and Oshiomhole, strategically mounted at the beginning of the street housing the secretariat, at the entrance gate and inside the compound were still displayed.
But, perhaps to prove that he is no longer a member of the secretariat family ahead of scheduled APC emergency NEC meeting next week, the big billboards, posters disappeared to the surprise of many that stormed the secretariat in the early hours of the Thursday, leaving President Buhari alone.
In fact, apart from Oshiomhole’s framed portraits still hanging in almost all the offices, the only trace of posters and billboards bearing his picture and name were the defaced ones at the entrance gate, announcing a mega rally in support of him.
Other ones include the two big posters congratulating Waziri Bulama as the party’s National Secretary, jointly bearing his picture and that of President Buhari sponsored by the APC. Integrity Politidal Action Committee (APC-IPAC).
Again, another one was the massive poster sponsored by a group, Save Nigeria-Buhari Ambassador, signed by its national coordinator, Hon Jazeel Jamil Ibrahim, still congratulating Bulama over his controversial appoint.
Inquiries made from the security agents manning the entrance gate on why they permitted his removal from the billboards, revealed that the sponsored, Sarduaunau Badarawa (SAN Trading Hausa) was the person who replaced them.
“How do you expect us to stop him from removing the billboard he mounted because he removed Oshiomhole especially when it is still bearing President Buhari’s picture.
“Since it was an individual arrangement, we lack the authority to stop him from doing anything he wishes to do with his property,” the security agent said.
Asked the secretariat staff why they did not protest his removal from the large billboards, they scornfully told our correspondent that he is not worth dying for.
“His portraits are still everywhere in all the offices. That should be enough for him. But as for his removal from the billboards, we cannot interfere as far as this issue is concerned. Is he worth fighting for, how much of recognition did he give to us since he resumed?” They asked.