News Desk
Thursday’s planned inauguration of the members of the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) new National Working Committee (NWC) members, following protests that led to the police takeover of the secretariat.
The NWC of the ruling party, after its meeting on Wednesday, announced replacements for the vacant offices following the resignations and appointments of its former members as ministers.
Recall that while the party’s national vice chairman, North West and national legal adviser, Salihu Moh. Lukman and Ahmed El’ Marzuq respectively, resigned from their positions following the emergence of former Kano state governor Abdulahi Ganduje as national chairman,the duo of Abubakar Kyari (Deputy National Chairman (North) and Beta Edu (National Woman Leader) were elevated to the position of ministers by President Bola Tinubu.
Some offices also became vacant due to the deaths and defections of members. While Deputy National Publicity Secretary Murtala Yakubu Ajaka resigned his membership of the APC to fly the banner of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, it would be recalled that the office of Welfare Officer became vacant following the death of Friday Nwosu.
The replacement was announced by the party’s national secretary, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, during a media briefing on the outcome of the NWC meeting held at the APC National Secretariat.
Basiru listed the new NWC members to include Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori (Borno State)as Deputy National chairman North, National Vice Chairman North West, Hon. Garba Datti Muhammad (Kaduna State).
The new National Legal Adviser is Prof. Abdul Karim Abubakar Kana (Nasarawa State), while the National Welfare Secretary, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa (Abia State)
The National Women Leader is Mary Alile Idele, PhD (Edo State), while the Deputy National Publicity Secretary is Duro Meseko (Kogi State).
The party also listed Zonal Organising Secretary (North Central Zone), Shuaibu Okolo (Kogi State).
However, the replacements were greeted with protests and rejections as several party members stormed the Blantyre Street national headquarters of the party on Thursday.
Protesters from Kogi stormed the party secretariat, stalking the planned inauguration.
They were, however, prevented by battle-ready police officers who were strategically positioned along the entrances of Blantyre Street, housing the headquarters of the party.
The protest was, however, galvanized by the arrival of the governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, in the early hours of the morning, obviously to protest the alleged imposition of an NWC member from his state without consulting the Kogi State stakeholders of the party.
While protesters from Cross River State rejected the removal of the national woman leader from the state, Kogi protesters rejected the alleged imposition of Duro Meseko.
The APC had announced Mary Alile Idele, from Edo State, who is alleged to be the candidate of former National Chairman Edo North, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, as National Women Leader (South South Zone), instead of Dr Stella Odey-Ekpo, who is said to be the candidate of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Beta Edu, who formerly occupied the office.
The ruling party had equally settled for Duro Meseko (Kogi State) as the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary (North Central Zone) to replace Yakubu Ajaka, as allegedly recommended by James Faleke against the candidate recommended by Governor Bello.
Edu, the former Woman Leader, had earlier stormed the national secretariat around 6.20 p.m. on Wednesday to protest the dropping of her candidate, who had already practically resumed office, and left 45 minutes after she noticed her name had been replaced.
The issue of the National Welfare Secretary was not left out of the protests, as the party dropped the candidate of the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu. Kalu’s preferred candidate for the office, the former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Martins Azubuike, was rejected and dropped by the party, who replaced him with the candidate of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma. Uzodinma submitted the name of the former APC Abia State Chairman, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa.
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The national chairman, Abdulahi Ganduje, who was scheduled to inaugurate the new NWC members, however, stayed away from office as the whole place was charged with protests.
Governor Bello, who arrived at the secretariat on G-Wagon, told newsmen that he won’t bulge until the mistake is corrected, stressing, “This issue must be sorted out today.”
Meanwhile, the Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has rejected the names announced by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party as replacements for the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary and the former Zonal Organising Secretary, who both resigned recently.
Explaining that they were wrongly replaced with names that did not emanate from the state chapter, the Kogi APC said the actions of the NWC is a clear contravention of the party’s constitution.
In a statement by the state APC Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, the party blamed what he described as some known agents of distabilisation as being behind the plot.
The statement noted that “consequent upon the resignation of the two officers, the Kogi State All Progressives Congress, APC, under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello, met to ratify and forward names of replacements for the national and zonal officers that left the party.”
He noted that the state chapter ratified Yahaya Ade Ismail as the new Deputy National Publicity Secretary and Isiaka Musa as the Zonal Organising Secretary for North Central.
The chairman said that in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution, it communicated the ratified replacements to the NWC through the North Central Zonal Chairman of the party.
“To our dismay, the National Working Committee came up with strange names that didn’t pass through the state chapter nor the North Central Zone of the party and purportedly went ahead to ratify them, citing ‘Presidency interest’ as the rationale for their action.
“We strongly reject the action, as we will not be parties to the blatant and flagrant violation of our party’s constitution.
“Our belief in Mr President as a man who respects the Constitution of our party and a man who believes in due process is unshaken in the face of the current confusion foisted on the party by people dropping the name of the President to achieve their selfish aims.
“We call on the National Working Committee of the party to reverse the unconstitutional replacements done on our behalf without our ratification or approval and revert to our ratified list as they occupy those offices on behalf of the state chapter of our party.
“We have delivered Kogi State to the APC, and the least we will expect is for the party hierarchy to continue to support us to achieve greater heights.
“The Kogi State chapter of the APC, therefore, rejects the decision of the National Working Committee in its entirety and urges it to follow the constitution of our party and the due process our party is known for.
“We are confident that the interest of the party is for Kogi State to remain a stronghold of the APC, especially now that we march towards November 11 to retain the state,” the statement reads.
Techrectory, Abuja.
