…As NWC proposes interface with Ministers on performance records
…Adopt indirect primaries for Anambra Guber ticket

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has decided to review its constitution to accommodate former governors as members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.

The decision was reached at the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.

The media had reported that some former governors of the party shunned the NEC meeting.

But reacting to this on Thursday after its National Working Committee (NWC) meeting, the APC National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, said the were not part of APC NEC.

He, however, said, “The National Executive Committee has set up a committee to review our constitution for the purposes of inclusivity of such elements.”

Basiru also revealed that the NWC has concluded arrangements to engage with the MDAs on their performance records.

The process of party NWC engaging with the members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was first adopted by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), when late Umar Musa Yar’adua was the President.

It would be recalled that the PDP National Chairman then was late Prince Vincent Ogbulafor.

Speaking on the NWC engaging the MDAs, the APC National Secretary said, “The national working committee also considered its proposition to begin to engage with government appointees on their achievements of the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“And we agreed that the processes will begin in earnest immediately after the Ramadan fasting so that there will be engagement between the party and government officials to x-ray the progress and challenges faced by different ministries, departments and agencies of our government.”

Similarly, the NWC stated that the party has resolved to adopt indirect primaries for the forthcoming Anambra governorship ticket.

The National Secretary, who spoke with the media after the NWC meeting, said, “Our meeting also considered the processes in the ongoing Anambra governorship election, which is scheduled to be held by November 8, 2025.

“The national working committee of the party took cognizance of the fact that an advertisement had been made, and it seems the advertisement was seemingly projecting that the NWC had adopted a direct mode of primary, but in actual fact no positive resolution of the NWC had been taken before today as to the mode of primary.

“At the NWC today, it was put into consideration and now formally decided that the mode of emergence of the candidate for that election will be through indirect primary.

“In order to carry along all stakeholders, a stakeholders’ meeting with the state working committee, state caucus, and the aspirants will be held at the national headquarters of the party by 1 pm on Tuesday next week to carry them along.

“Correspondence to this effect will be made to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Of course, there will be supplementary advertisement and public sensitization as to the mode of primary and the new timetable adjusted in line with that decision.”

Speaking on other issues considered by the NWC, Basiru said, “The national working committee also reviewed the ongoing membership e-registration of the party and the consultants doing the work have been mobilized. Necessary equipment and software are being put in place to ensure that the exercise which is slated to be made public by May is made seamless because our commitment is that before the next election we would have a register that has integrity and we also be useful for the purposes of accessing the demographics within the party.”

Commenting on the recently held caucus and NEC meeting, the National Secretary said, “The National Working Committee considered the recently held caucus and NEC meetings of the party and we are of the opinion that it was largely successful. notwithstanding certain misrepresentations as to who to attend and who not to attend.

“We discovered that certain people who were not members of the NEC were reported by many media as being absent, whereas they are not members of the NEC but, for some political expediencies, were reported to be absent, but ex-governors are not members of the NEC.

“The National Executive Committee has set up a committee to review our constitution for the purposes of inclusivity of such elements.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there were some who were members of the caucus, and they attended, but because they are not members of NEC, they did not attend. The former Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, was at the Caucus, but certain media reported that he was absent from NEC.

“The NWC equally commended Mr President and, by extension, every member of the party’s leadership for coming to these meetings and giving proper directions for the party ahead of our journey in 2025.”