The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its national caucus passed a vote of confidence President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday.

Also given a clean bill was the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee (NWC).

The NEC meeting, which started at about 2:20 pm, ended at 4:40 pm.

It declined to debate a “motion” seeking an automatic return ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who addressed reporters on the outcome of the meeting, said the “motion” seeking to adopt the President for a second term was not treated “because that is not why we are here”.

The National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi said the only motion taken was to pass a vote of confidence on the President, adding that there was none on his adoption for a second term in office.

Dogara said the meeting reviewed a paper on the line of activities that the party would embark upon in the coming months, pointing out that there was no definitive and conclusive date for its convention.

Dogara said: “Today’s meeting was not about 2019 elections. When we talk about 2019 in the context of the agenda you saw, we are talking about membership registration, the drive for membership and others. We are not talking about elections.

“Even though there was a motion on the floor that called for a vote of confidence on the President, some of us felt it was not necessary because there is nowhere that his confidence is shaking. But the motion was taken and passed. But there was a second leg to that motion, which calls for the adoption of the candidacy of the President, but it was deferred for now and no decision was taken because that is not the major reason why we are here.”

Speaking of aggrieved members, Dogara said: “I don’t think that you can find any family that is as large as the APC family without some squabbles. No such family exists in the whole world and if there are disagreements, they are okay because, without disagreements, you cannot even move forward.”

Abdullahi said: “The motion that was put, was after the Minister of Agriculture had briefed the NEC about the activities and achievements of his Ministry. One of the NEC members said we should move a motion passing a vote of confidence on Mr President. There was no formal motion moved on the issue of a second term for Mr President.

Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari said the caucus meeting “shows our unity in the party, shows our strength and our commitment to the party and to Nigerians’’.

Oyegun described the caucus as “very fantastic”, adding that the party would be stronger after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.