Leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) converged at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.
The venue on Blantyre Street was heavily secured, with armed personnel—including soldiers from the Guards Brigade—cordoning off all access routes.
Vehicular and pedestrian movements were strictly controlled, and journalists were kept at bay despite an earlier release of an accredited media list by party spokesman Felix Morka.
Early arrivals included every member of the National Working Committee and the Forum of State Chairmen, alongside prominent figures such as former Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari, Minister of Budget and National Planning Atiku Bagudu, and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu. Numerous state governors were also in attendance, representing Edo, Benue, Ondo, Ekiti, Kaduna, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Yobe, Niger, Lagos, Kogi, Ogun, and Imo states, in addition to a deputy governor from Ebonyi and former governors from Kogi, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara, and Plateau.
Notably, former President Muhammadu Buhari, ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Rivers Governor and ex-Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi were absent from the proceedings.
At noon, party leader President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shetimma, Senate President Goodwill Akpabio, and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas arrived, with the meeting being presided over by APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje.
This NEC gathering—the first since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023—followed the national caucus meeting held at the Presidential Villa a day earlier.
Amidst the tight security and high-profile attendance, some APC chieftains, including El-Rufai and former National Vice Chairman Salihu Lukman, have voiced concerns over the party’s internal democracy, hinting at simmering tensions within the ruling party.