KEY POINTS
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APC has relocated its NEC meeting to the Presidential Villa due to logistics.
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The meeting could decide the fate of the party’s leadership and election readiness.
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APC governors held a closed-door meeting ahead of the NEC to strategize.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has shifted the venue of its upcoming National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting from the party’s national secretariat to the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
This change was announced on Wednesday in a statement by APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, who attributed the relocation to logistical reasons.
“The All Progressives Congress APC announces that the meeting of the Party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, scheduled to be held on Thursday, 24th July, 2025, will now take place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The change of venue from the Party’s National Secretariat – 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja, is due to logistical reasons,” the statement read.
NEC meeting is expected to address the lingering leadership vacuum following Ganduje’s exit as national chairman
Preparations ahead of the NEC meeting intensified on Wednesday as APC governors gathered in Abuja for a closed-door session at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge. Governor Hope Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum, hosted the meeting.
Among those present were Governors Babagana Zulum (Borno), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Usman Ododo (Kogi), and Uba Sani (Kaduna). Surprisingly, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, a PDP governor, was also spotted at the venue, although it remains unclear if he participated in the meeting or had a separate engagement.
The focus of the meeting is expected to center on the urgent need to appoint a substantive national chairman. The position became vacant following the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje in June, who cited health concerns and a desire to take a break from active politics. His resignation has created uncertainty in the party hierarchy and prompted discussions about possible successors.
Since Ganduje’s departure, the party has been led in an acting capacity by Ali Bukar Dalori. Analysts believe Thursday’s NEC meeting may lead to Dalori’s confirmation or the emergence of a new chairman, a decision crucial to the APC’s preparations for upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun states.
In addition to leadership matters, party insiders suggest that the NEC may also ratify schedules for congresses and approve updates on the ongoing electronic registration exercise aimed at expanding the APC’s digital membership base across all 36 states and the FCT.
With the 2027 general elections on the horizon and rising public discontent over economic challenges, the APC is under pressure to re-organize and re-energize its internal structures to avoid a potential electoral setback.
Despite the brief nature of the announcement, the decision to move such a high-stakes meeting to the Presidential Villa is seen by observers as a strategic effort to underscore the importance of unity and central control within the party.