This was even as the ruling party affirmed that no decision can be taken without the input of the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Multiple sources within the secretariat also told our correspondent that the party is planning to appease some ambitious aspirants to settle for consensus candidates.
The highlight of Wednesday’s stormy session, however, focused more on resolving the leadership crisis in APC South South and an appeal for the National Vice Chairman for North-West, Mallam Salihu Lukman, to save the party from embarrassment by withdrawing his lawsuit against its leadership.
Recall that Lukman had dragged the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, to court for breach of the party Constitution.
In a counter move, the National Legal Adviser, Ahmad El-Marzuq, also wrote a legal opinion to Adamu four days ago recommending severe punishment to be meted out on Lukman including expulsion for taking a legal approach.
“The crucial meeting was a very heated session. At the end, Lukman was asked to withdraw the lawsuit and tender an apology to the party. You can see from his face when he came out of the meeting that he wasn’t too pleased with the decision.
“However, a committee has been set up to reconcile the warring parties. The zoning issue was also discussed briefly but I understand they agreed on meeting with Asiwaju to convince him on persuading the lawmakers vying for different positions to allow the party settle for consensus candidates,” one of the sources said.
The four-hour meeting, which started at about 1.00pm, was presided by Adamu with no fewer than 18 of the 24- member NWC in attendance.
Addressing newsmen after the end of the stormy encounter, the National Chairman of the APC disclosed that they had a meaningful deliberation that further connotes that they remain more formidable and united.
He said, “The outcome of our 4 hour meeting, we came out a more formidable and united than anything. The zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly that some of you are asking is not what today’s meeting is all about. When we want to do zoning, we don’t just go alone as a party.
“Zoning is to take along the person who has the mandate of the country, the president-elect in the person of Ahmed Bola Tinubu. We have to take him along. He travelled after the elections and came back only last week. We have to carry him along.
“Also, we cannot stop those who are ambitious with zonal, individual or institutional interest. We cannot deny them. For as long as that is there, we have to find a persuasive manner to get some level of consensus. That is what we are working on. It is not a one-day affair.”
In a similar vein, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, re-echoed the sentiments of the chairman when asked about the outcome of NWC meeting.
Morka also confirmed that a committee, comprising five of the six NWC zonal chairmen, has been formed to resolve the lingering feud between Adamu and Lukman as well as to address out all the concerns raised by the Kaduna politician.
He said, “Amongst all of the issues discussed at the meeting, we look at some internal and domestic housekeeping matters with a colleague that you know (Lukman) who has expressed his concerns about something he believes the party should be doing. We deliberated fully about it.
“As we speak, a committee that was set up to complete that conversation is in progress right now. So, there is still a meeting that is ongoing that I am supposed to be part of to fully rectify that discussion and offer final recommendations on that subject.
“But I am happy to report that the party stands united behind the leadership of the National Chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. We are all standing together. The concerns raised by our colleague (Lukman) who has concern, is being looked into. And I think I due course, we will have very specific conclusions of those discussions. We are good on this question.”
When asked to explain why the ruling party is tarrying in taking a decision on zoning of the Senate presidency, speaker and other principal offices, Morka hesitated.
He noted that it wasn’t a deliberate attempt by APC as being speculated.
