The All Progressives Congress (APC) governors gathered behind closed doors Wednesday evening to examine the party’s state of affairs following the resignations of its National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
The pair stepped down on Monday, paving the way for the emergence of the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari, as the party’s National Chairman.
In attendance at the meeting presided over by the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, were Governors Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Umar Bago (Niger), and Hyacinth Alia (Benue).
Others include Governors Uba Sani (Kaduna), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Dikko Umar Radda (Katsina) and Nasir Idris (Kebbi), as well as the acting governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Kyari succeeded Adamu as the party’s chairman after a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Briefing reporters after the NWC meeting, Kyari formally announced the resignation of Adamu and Omisore as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.
Kyari further stated that in line with the constitution of the party, the Deputy National Secretary, Festus Fuanter, would serve as the acting National Secretary of the APC.
Pressured To Step Down?
A former APC National Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire, SAN, suggested that the resignations might have been forced rather than voluntary.
Banire spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday hours after Kyari emerged as the new APC National Chairman and announced Adamu and Omisore’s resignations as national officers of the party.
“I have been reading Mr Lukman Saliu for some time; he has been raising a lot of issues, particularly bordering on maladministration of the party, misappropriation of funds and so on,” he said.
“Well, that could be part of it because I know as a matter of fact, in NWC sometimes those are usually issues that usually confront or challenges the body.
“So, it’s not unlikely that it is as a result of such issues that have been in the public space for some time now; maybe it has reached its peak now and couldn’t be absorbed again. They probably reacted.
“I’m not too sure that the resignation could have been voluntary, in my view, I might be wrong; I probably believe that maybe the pressure of other colleagues of theirs forced them eventually to tender their resignation.”