President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will lead top figures of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the highly anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja today, Thursday.
The meeting marks the first major gathering of APC leaders since the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, and will include a brief tribute session in his honour.
Those expected to join President Tinubu at the gathering include Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC governors and former governors, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
The NEC meeting, which will be held at the State House Conference Centre, is expected to set the tone for critical decisions affecting the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Top on the agenda is the consideration of a substantive National Chairman to replace Abdullahi Ganduje, who recently resigned from the position following internal consultations and reported health concerns.
Although speculation continues to swirl over potential successors, insiders say Thursday’s meeting could provide a clear direction on the matter.
In a shift from tradition, the APC national caucus meeting, which is usually held a day before the NEC meeting, has been cancelled due to logistical reasons.
To compensate, the NEC session will be expanded to include caucus members, ensuring all key stakeholders are present for deliberations.
With the party already strategising for the next general elections, today’s gathering will serve as an opportunity to reinforce internal unity, assess ongoing realignments in the opposition, and solidify the APC’s leadership direction.
According to sources within the party who spoke with The Cable, the meeting will also address party finances, the 2027 election timetable, and the need for reconciliation efforts in states facing internal divisions.
According to the APC constitution, members of the NEC include the national chairman, deputy national chairmen (north and south), national secretary, deputy national secretary, six national vice-chairmen (zonal chairmen), and national legal adviser.
Other members are the deputy legal adviser, national treasurer, deputy treasurer, national financial secretary, deputy financial secretary, national organising secretary, deputy organising secretary, national publicity secretary, deputy publicity secretary, national welfare secretary, deputy welfare secretary, national auditor, deputy auditor, national women leader, deputy women leader, national youth leader, deputy youth leader, special (physically challenged) leader, zonal secretaries, youth leaders, women leaders, and state chairmen of the party.
Also included are the president and vice-president of the country, senate president and deputy, the speaker and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, governors who are members of the party, and the party’s principal officers in both chambers of the national assembly.
Each geo-political zone will be represented by two nominated senators and three nominated members of the House of Representatives.
Six ex-officio members elected from each geo-political zone, as well as the chairman, deputy chairman, and secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT), also form part of the NEC.
The APC constitution also provides for a national caucus comprising past and present presidents and vice-presidents, serving and former national officers, national assembly leaders, governors, presidential and vice-presidential candidates, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and Board of Trustees (BoT) leaders.