Stella Ekpo, Ismail Yahaya, Ali Dalori, others to fill vacant APC NWC positions »

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to fill the vacant positions in the National Working Committee (NWC), following nominations from zonal and state chapters.

The new officers awaiting ratification by the National Executive Committee (NEC) are former Cross River State Commissioner for Local Government, Dr. Stella Odey-Ekpo (Women Leader); Borno State APC Chairman Ali Dalori (Deputy National Chairman, North); former Nasarawa State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Prof. Abdulkarim Kana (Legal Adviser), former Abia State House of Assembly Speaker Martins Azubuike (Welfare Officer), and former Special Adviser on Water Resources to Kogi State Governor, Ismail Adesayo Yahaya (Deputy National Publicity Secretary).

The decision to fill the positions is in line with the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC), it was learnt yesterday.

Recall that last week, former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Senator Ajibola Basiru assumed office as national chairman and national secretary respectively, after their predecessors-Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore-resigned abruptly.

Apart from the Vice Chairman (Northwest), Saliu Lukman, and Legal Adviser, Ahmad El-Marzup, who also resigned, two NWC members-Senator Abubakar Kyari and Dr. Beta Edu-were also nominated as ministers by President Bola Tinubu while a member passed on.

It was gathered that following the ceding of powers by the NEC to the NWC at its August 3 meeting its directive to the administrative organ to fill the vacant positions, the States Executive Committee that produced the former officers nominated candidates for the vacancies, in line with the directive.

According to a party source, the positions were zoned before the April 2022 National Convention, based on Article 31.5 of the APC Constitution, which spells out the procedures.

According to article 31.5(i) “In case of a National/Zonal Officer, the State Executive Committee shall propose a replacement to the State Congress and Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement. Thereafter, the name shall be sent to the National Working Committee, which shall forward sane to the National Executive Committee for approval”

Sources said the Borno State chapter and the Northeast Executive Committee consequently elected Dalori, as Deputy National Chairman (North), to replace Kyari, whose ministerial appointment has been ratified by the Senate.

Similarly the Cross Rivers State chapter has forwarded the name of Odey-Ekpo to replace Edu as National Women Leader.

The new National Publicity Secretary, Ismail Adesayo Yahaya will be replacing Mustapha Muri Ajaka who had resigned from APC to contest for governor on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

It was also gathered that with the position of the National Legal Adviser now zoned to the North Central, that after wide consultations with the six states in the region, Nasarawa State was favoured to nominate a replacement to El-Marzuq, who resigned last week.

Also, Azubuike will replace the National Welfare Secretary Friday Nwosu, a lawyer, who died in March.

However, the source said the Northwest is yet to nominate a replacement for Lukman.

A member of NWC, who spoke on the development in confidence, confirmed that the National Secretariat of the party has received the nominations.