The new leadership of the All Progressives Congress has written to intimate President Bola Tinubu on the postponement of the long-awaited National Caucus and National Executive Committee meetings. The development is coming barely 24 hours after the Acting National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abubakar Kyari, announced the resignation of his successor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore.

This was even as multiple sources confirmed that the National Working Committee might be looking toward October to convene a National Convention to complete the transition of filling up the vacant offices. Aside from the offices of the National Chairman and secretary, other positions that are presently vacant include Deputy National Publicity Secretary, formerly occupied by Murtala Ajaka, who is running for the office of Kogi governor on the platform of Social Democratic Party and National Welfare Officer, which was previously occupied by the late Friday Nwosu.

Speaking exclusively with a national daily correspondent, National Vice Chairman for South East, Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu noted though the ruling party would eventually hold the convention, he however stressed that caucus and NEC meetings were of priority. He said, “We are still preparing for our NEC and National Caucus meeting. It is after we have those two meetings that we will know the direction of the party. Nobody is talking about Convention. It is the caucus and NEC meetings that we are focused on for now.”

Asked to confirm if the new leadership of the party is planning to have a private meeting with the president, the NWC member nodded. “Yes. We have sent a letter to the president to intimate him about our decision to postpone both the caucus and NEC meetings. So we are in the planning stage because of the new leadership,” he said. On whether the exit of Kyari and few notable persons being considered for ministerial positions will create an additional vacuum before an emergency Convention takes place, Arodiogbu disagreed.

“No. The people being considered for ministerial appointments already know themselves and they are keen on retaining the party’s position like myself. Whatever backing we take, it is something we will, as a party, decides on the best way to fill them before the NEC.
“The date for the NEC has not been decided yet. My thinking is maybe towards the end of the year. You know the planning of Congress is not something that will happen within one month. I don’t think so. We are more concerned with the NEC happening within the next two weeks. But then, the government must settle down first by announcing and inaugurating the cabinet,” he noted.

Continuing, the national vice chairman for South-East admitted that though having a frozen account as a result of the change in leadership may slightly cause a delay in staff salaries and the day-to-day running of the party’s affairs, he expressed optimism they will find a way around it.
An informed source at the party secretariat also confirmed that some representatives of the APC leadership may include the national chairman, secretary, and an undisclosed person are preparing to visit the president. He also disclosed that several names, which include former governors and heavyweights in the North-Central and South West are currently being considered to replace both Adamu and Omisore.

“They (NWC) are due to meet with the president any moment for them to decide on the all-important NEC and caucus meetings. It is a must they meet to agree on the new dates.
Speaking on a possible replacement for the post of substantive national chairman, the source fingered former governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura; former governor of Niger State, Abu Lolo; former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Silas Ali Agara and former governor of Plateau State.

The Nigeria Labour Congress threatened to take “matters into its own hands” following the decision by the NNPCL to hike petrol price and the Federal Government’s plan to distribute N8,000 monthly to 12 million poor households in the country.

The NLC in a statement issued by its National President, Joe Ajaero, accused the Tinubu-led government of taking from the poor to pay the rich and unleashing suffering, hardship and sorrow upon Nigerians.

It said it had restrained itself from making further comments publicly on the vexatious issues around the recent but unfortunate unilateral hike in the price of petrol, which was in the guise of “the so-called subsidy withdrawal.”

The statement read in part, “However, the government of Nigeria seems to have been misled into believing that resorting to impunity and imperiousness in governance in a democracy is a beneficial option as it pursues its stated and unstated objectives.

“It is this belief that we are sure has continued shaping the actions of this government since its inauguration on May 29, 2023, to continue inflicting mindless and heartless pains on the populace one after the other without the decency of embracing the tenets of democracy which requires wide and deep stakeholder consultations on weighty matters of state.”

The NLC stated that Nigerians would remember that the Federal Government had called for dialogue after its disastrous forlorn trajectory in the astronomical increase in petroleum product price “and our subsequent call for a nationwide industrial action.”

It said, “We were also witnesses to the actions of the Federal Government in procuring an unholy injunction from the courts which were served us in Gestapo style by trucks laden with fully armed soldiers and policemen.

“In all of these provocations, we remained committed to the principles of the rule of law, good conscience and democracy so that we can continue to be the moral compass for leaders in the public space. This explained our decision to suspend action on the proposed strike.”

The labour union, however, stated that rather than reciprocate the goodwill of Nigerian workers, the Federal Government insisted on threading the path of dictatorship and seeking to impoverish the people further by taking steps that could only be described as robbing the people of Nigeria to pay and feed the rich.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., has attributed the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol to the market realities. The company’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Malam Mele Kyari, stated this in an interview with newsmen shortly after a private meeting with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Kyari explained that the increase in the price of pms has nothing to do with supply issue, adding that there are robust supply of the product in the country. ”I don’t have the details this moment. You know we have the Marketing Wing of the company, they adjust prices depending on the market realities.

”And this is the meaning of making sure that the market regulate itself so that prices will go up and sometimes they will come down also and this is really what we are seeing in reality this is how the market works.

”There is no supply issue completely when you go to the market you buy the product you come to the market and sale it at prevailing market price there is nothing to do with supply we don’t have supply issues.”

”There are robust supply, we have over 32 days supply in the country, that’s not a problem. What I know is that the market forces will regulate the market, prices will go down sometimes and sometime it will go up but there will be stability of supply. He assured Nigerians that the policy was the best way for the country going forward.

”And I am also assuring Nigerians that this is the best way to go forward so that we can adjust prices when market comes.

”I know that a number of companies have imported petroleum pms so many of them are online. Market forces have started to play, people have confidence in the market and private sector people are now importing product.

”And there is no way they can recover their cost if they cannot take market reflective cost,” Kyari said.

On his part, Alhaji, Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said the authority doesn’t set price of the product but it was market determine itself.

” As a regulator you know I told you back in May we are not going to be setting price the market will determine itself and as you saw back in early June when prices came out it was based on the cost of importation plus other logistics of distribution and of course the profit margin by the importer.

”This market is deregulated, is open to all participants. As a mentioned also yesterday (Monday) when I was in Lagos we have about 56 marketing companies that have applied for and obtained license to import.

”Out of those 10 of them have indicated to supply within the third quarter which is July, August and September. And out of those already we received some cargoes from some of these Marketers.”

Prudent Energy, AYM Shafa and Emadeb Cargo is arriving tomorrow (Wednesday), So this is like just an encouragement to see that the market is liberated and everyone is free to import so long you are working within the framework especially in tems of quality.”

He insisted that the authority as a regulator would not put cap on the price because it was not part of those importing the product.

”But the pricing as a regulator we are not going to put the cap on the price because we are not part of those importing, we are not a marketing company, we are just a regulator.

”So when you say market forces are working basically what it means is that you can see the price of the Crude Oil going up, couple of week ago recovering around 70 dollars per barrel now is around 80 dollars per barrel

”So of course the crude price also drive the product price you know because the imposters are importing they are basen it on the course of importation plus other cost element in terms of local distribution.”