Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have begun arriving at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja ahead of its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for noon today.
Security operatives, including personnel from the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Mobile Police, and the military, have barricaded the roads leading to Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, where the APC secretariat is located. Vehicular and human movement on the street has been partially restricted.
As of 9:50 a.m., some party members had arrived, including Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas are expected to attend the meeting.
The APC had earlier held its caucus meeting at the State House on Tuesday, presided over by President Tinubu.
Following the caucus meeting, Chairperson of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma stated that the party remained united, stronger, and committed to supporting the Tinubu administration.
This marks the first NEC meeting under Tinubu’s presidency since he assumed office in May 2023. The meeting, initially scheduled for September 11 and 12, was postponed indefinitely before being rescheduled for today.
The NEC meeting comes amid internal tensions within the party.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, recently accused the party of deviating from its progressive ideals.
El-Rufai, who was nominated for a ministerial position but was not confirmed by the National Assembly, claimed that it was President Tinubu—not lawmakers—who blocked his appointment.
“The president didn’t want me in his cabinet,” El-Rufai said in an interview with Arise Television, his first public statement since his nomination was rejected. “The National Assembly had nothing to do with me.”
