By EMMANUEL MOGBEDE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed July 24, for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, to be held at its Abuja national secretariat.

Mr Festus Faunter, the party’s Deputy National Secretary, disclosed this to newsmen on Monday in Abuja after a closed-door meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC).

The meeting, he said, followed the resignation of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as APC’s National Chairman on health grounds on Friday, a decision the NWC accepted with gratitude and wished him well.

“Whatever we do now, including the endorsement of the Acting National Chairman must receive the blessing of the NEC.

“If during the NEC meeting, a new chairman is nominated, we will also accept that and wait for the convention to take a final position,” Faunter said.

He added that a notice for the NEC meeting had been forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said the NWC discussed preparations for upcoming bye-elections in states where there were legislative vacancies due to death or resignation and mapped out early plans for Ward, Local Government, and state congresses.

“Dates for these exercises will be made public in due course, Faunter added.

He also said that the party’s NEC, as its highest decision making organ, was expected to deliberate on its next steps, including leadership succession, internal restructuring, and preparations for 2027 general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alhaji Ali Dalori, has since assumed office as APC’S Acting National Chairman, promising to be transparent, inclusive and to steer the party’s activities with unity of purpose.

Dalori, who was the APC Deputy National Chairman (North-East), before his appointment made the promise at a meeting with the party’s NWC.

President Bola Tinubu had directed Dalori to oversee the affairs of APC following last Friday’s resignation of Ganduje.

“In accordance with the Constitution of our party and the directive of President Tinubu, I have assumed the position of acting national chairman following the resignation of Ganduje,” Dalori said.

Ganduje in his resignation letter submitted to the party’s NWC through its National Secretary, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, said he needed time out to attend to his health and other personal issues.

The former two term Kano State governor assumed leadership of the APC in August 2023. (NAN)