The fight to fill up available slots in the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Friday, took a different dimension, as it emerged that the Abia State chapter of the party had nominated two persons for the office of the National Welfare Officer.
It was gathered that the State Executive Committee had on March 28, 2023, nominated one Rev. Dan Imo, a situation that some stakeholders in the state were said to have kicked against, following the fact that he was just two years old in the party and with no political experience or clout. A top party official who spoke to newsmen in confidence, said the state executives acted in violation of extant laws regarding such nominations.
On “Vacancy”, Article 31.5 of the APC Constitution states; “In the event of vacancy, the office shall be filled as follows: “In the 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 same to the National Executive Committee for approval”. It was further learnt that the Abia executive failed to organise a state Congress and also by-passed the zonal executive committee but instead forwarded the nominee directly to the NWC.
Within a space of four months, “the Abia Chairman without any consultation with the stakeholders in the state and state congress sent another letter proposing another individual Deacon Obinna Atuonwu at their discretion without a state congress to replace the late National Welfare Officer. Assuming without conceding that they even have the powers, which of their two nominees would the NEC now honour?” a top party chieftain from Abia, queried. He continued: “There is no place for proposing a replacement without calling for a congress in the Constitution which states that the state executive shall propose a replacement to the state congress and then to Zonal Executive Committee for endorsement.
“The purposive interpretation of Article 31.5 in the writers mind is that a proposal, just a proposal, not a nomination will be raised by the state executive committee who will call for a state congress to make the presentation of such proposal seeking for the acceptance and the adoption by the state congress before presenting such to the zonal executive for endorsement. This must be done before sending any name to the National Working Committee who will then send it to the National Executive Committee for approval.”
