The National Working Committee NWC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC is set for an explosive meeting on Wednesday following a lawsuit instituted by its National Vice Chairman, Northwest, Salihu Moh. Lukman against the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore over their refusal to convene meetings of relevant party organs.

Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja

The National Working Committee NWC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC is set for an explosive meeting on Wednesday following a lawsuit instituted by its National Vice Chairman, Northwest, Salihu Moh. Lukman against the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore over their refusal to convene meetings of relevant party organs.

Having exhausted all avenues to make his voice heard, Lukman had given a seven-day ultimatum to Adamu to commence efforts to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee NEC where he (Adamu) will give a financial account of the party.

Lukman had threatened to institute a lawsuit against Adamu should he fail to do the needful within the stipulated timeframe.

Consequently, the former Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF had last Thursday made good his threat to sue Adamu and Omisore.

He also wrote President Muhammadu Buhari, explaining his reasons for dragging the duo to court, saying he was left with no option as they failed to heed his call to be guided by the party’s constitution.

In another memo on Tuesday which was addressed to Adamu and copied President Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC Governors and NWC members, Lukman through his lawyers, Legal Resource Consortium LRC expressed the hope that Adamu, members of the NWC and all Party leaders will be properly guided by the correct position of the law.

Lukman in the memo signed by Olawale Fapohunda, SAN warned that; “under no circumstances should Your Excellency, being the National Chairman, or indeed the NWC as the administrative organ of the party act in a manner that suggests you are ‘too powerful to be governed or controlled by the party constitution or guidelines, and in contravention of such control mechanisms,’ which will mean that ‘democracy is thrown overboard by anarchy.’

“Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/573/2023 Between Salihu Mohammed Lukman vs All Progressives Congress APC & 3 Ors is instituted primarily to arrest the looming danger of anarchy in the management of our party, which is actively being promoted by the National Legal Adviser for which he has the effrontery to recommend that ‘Senior members of the Bar should be engaged to represent and defend the interest of the Party.’

“Is this really about the interest of the party or some pecuniary interests of those who are opposed to allowing the structures of the party to function as enshrined in the provisions of our party’s constitution? How can meetings of NEC and other organs of the Party be said to be against the interest of the Party?

“Your Excellency, the National Legal Adviser and all those involved in the effort to subvert the constitution of the party, may wish to convert all the party resources to fund appearances in Court to defend the indefensible.

“Those of us who stand for justice, even as orphans, will always find partners and allies among senior members of the Bar who will provide pro-bono services in defense of democracy. I am confident that our founding leaders led by President Muhammadu Buhari and President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will bring their moral authority to serve as a check to restore constitutional order in the APC”, he added.

In an earlier reply to Lukman’s initial memo, the APC National Legal Adviser, Ahmad Usman El- Marzuq Esq., had taken a “serious exception to the words used by Mr. Lukman in his letter when he described my legal opinion as a deliberate attempt to manipulate the NWC into subverting the Party’s Constitution”.

“I fail to see where I deliberately misled the NWC into subverting the Party’s Constitution by simply referring to relevant portions of the said Constitution which are clear and unambiguous.

“I must add that as the National Legal Adviser, it is my duty to provide legal advise to the Party that is devoid of sentiment as I have nothing personal against the National Vice Chairman (North-West)”, El-Marzuq, a “Life Bencher”, had stated.

He said he is ready to address all the issues raised in the memo written by himself at the emergency meeting of the NWC scheduled for Wednesday and further recommended “to the Party that Senior members of the Bar should be engaged to represent and defend the interest of the Party, the National Chairman and National Secretary in the above mentioned suit”.