Former President Buhari, Other Top Politicians Absent at NEC Meeting

Former President Muhammadu Buhari and other top politicians were absent as leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) converged at the National Secretariat of the party for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in the nation’s capital, Abuja.

The party’s national caucus meeting is held the day after the NEC meeting, which is the first since Tinubu took office in May 2023.

A group of armed security personnel, including Guards Brigade troops, blocked off the routes leading to the meeting location on Blantyre Street.

While journalists were kept outside even after the party spokesman, Felix Morka, released an accredited list of reporters on Wednesday morning, human and vehicular movements were also restricted on Blantyre Street.

Some early arrivals at the venue include all National Working Committee (NWC) members; Forum of State Chairmen; former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu; and Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

Governors of Edo, Benue, Ondo, Ekiti, Kaduna, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Yobe, Niger, Lagos, Kogi, Ogun, Imo, deputy governor of Ebonyi and former governors of Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara, and Plateau were in attendance.

Some other party leaders who were absent at the meeting were former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi.

The leader of the party, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shetimma, Senate President Goodwill Akpabio, and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas arrived at the venue at noon. The meeting was presided over by APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje.

The NEC meeting, the first since Tinubu’s assumption of office in May 2023, comes a day after the national caucus meeting of the party at the Presidential Villa, also in Abuja.

Some APC chieftains, including El-Rufai and an ex-National Vice Chairman of the party, Salihu Lukman, had complained about the lack of internal democracy in the ruling party.