…Threatens legal action against Adamu, Omisore, others
A prominent group of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on the aiges of Progressives Right Group (PRG) has thrown its weight behind the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-west Salihu Moh Lukman in the ongoing leadership crisis facing the party.
The group said it warned against emergence of Adamu as APC national chairman because the former Nasarawa state governor “is not a true party man at heart.”
Lukman had dragged the national chairman and the national secretary to Court for failure to call for meetings of the organs of the party and give financial account.
In a statement signed Monday evening by the national convener of the group, Ibrahim Dikko Yusuf, said his group will resist any attempt by the Chairman and some members of the NWC to stifle Malam Salihu Lukman or fail to attend to all the pertinent issues raised.
“This conspiracy to stifle internal democracy by spawning candidates was as high up as the National Chairman of the Party, Sen. Abdullahi Adam himself. A man many of us warned was not a party member at heart. A man who was causing trouble in his state of origin against a sitting Governor. A man who made us lose prominent members like Ahmed Aliyu Wadada. He defected to SDP and won the seat.
“Of recent our great party has been engulfed by a confidence crisis at the highest administrative level of the party, the National Working Committee (NWC). It is on record that some well-meaning members of the party have severally raised the need for the party to toe the line of progressivism by ensuring strict adherence to the constitutional provisions of the party; allowing all organs of the party to function; engaging party leaders and members in regular meetings olive to the vision of the founding fathers of the party.
“The issue of accountability. This is one key factor that distinguished APC from other parties in 2015 and earned us the victory at the polls over the incumbent PDP administration, but down the line, especially in the last three years, our party has been bugged by the PDP syndrome and our leaders have resorted to impunity and flagrant disobedience of the party constitution.
“Build up to the National Concention that produced the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, it will be recalled that our National Leader, President Muhammadu Buhari directed a refund of nomination fees to all aspirants who voluntarily stepped down for the party’s consensus arrangement, a year after this directive, it is sad that the NWC has failed to honour it, despite being tbe direct beneficiaries of the arrangement. No one has been paid their money back.
“Despite the huge revenues accrued to the party from the sale of nomination forms to aspirants for the just concluded general elections, Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC is still owing members on party assignments. Sadly the affairs of the party had been conducted discretionally at the expense of tbe party’s constitution.
“When we read the open letter by the National Vice Chairman (North West), Malam Salihu Lukman to the National Chairman on these very pertinent issues, we were happy that things may have started to take shape.”
The statement said it expected a more robust and sensible response borne out of respect for the party and its members “but alas we were shocked to read in the news of a planned National Working Committee meeting to be called presumably to discipline the party chieftain, based on the recommendation of the National Legal Adviser.
“Let it be clear that as members of this party, we will resist any attempt by the Chairman and some members of the NWC to stifle Malam Salihu Lukman or fail to attend to all the pertinent issues raised. We stand by Malam Salihu Lukman and we call for the party to return to the path of constitutionalism.
“The Chairman must be accountable. He must call for a NEC meeting immediately and render the necessary accounts.
Failure of which we will institute an action in court against the chairman, National Secretary and the Legal Adviser of the party. They are managers of the party, not owners. This must be made very clear to them.”