The Taraba State caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives has dissociated itself from the removal of the state party’s chairman, Hon. Ibrahim El-Sudi, saying the decision by a faction of the State Working Committee (SEC) will not stand.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, the spokesman of the caucus, Hon. Usman Shidi pointed accusing fingers at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the mastermind of the crisis.
He said that due process was not followed in the removal of El-Sudi, declaring that the action of a few members of the SEC was against Section 12 of APC’s constitution.
He said: “On behalf of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, Taraba State APC federal lawmakers, and other SEC members, we by this press conference dissociate ourselves from calls for the resignation and the purported removal of Hon. El-Sudi as APC State Chairman through a press conference held on the 3rd day of February 2023 by a skewed and self-serving section of the State Executive Committee not properly constituted and without a quorum and consulting the State Caucus created by Article 12.9 of the APC Constitution”.
Shidi, representing Ibi/Wukari federal constituency in the House of Representatives, added: “We jointly and severally wish to affirm our faithfulness to the APC constitution which clearly stipulates the procedure for leadership election and removal. We want the National Leadership of our party and world to know that the perpetrators of this unholy idea are in deep romance and in fact sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party state government in Taraba to destabilize the APC”.
A member of the caucus, who represents Jalingo/Yorro/Zing federal constituency, Hon. Hassan Bello Maigari repudiated the allegations against the sacked APC state chairman, stressing he was not a delegate or returning officer in the primary election that produced the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and so, could not have been the reason for his sack by the Supreme Court last week.
He said: “We are concerned but we are not surprised because we know people are working against the interest of the party. They are the ones pushing all those things. It’s well organized and executed by the PDP government and their sponsors. They all know that every Taraban is aware of these events. They are all sponsored by the PDP. On what transpired 3 or 4 days ago, we are concerned but not surprised actually. Removing El-Sudi will not bring solutions. Let’s assume without conceding to what they have said, if you love a party, you cannot create problems at this material time.
“El-Sudi is neither a delegate nor returning officer. So, he has no impact in the forthcoming primaries and even the one that was carried out which produced Senator Emmanuel Bwacha. So, for somebody to come out and say that El-Sudi is backing one candidate is just a mere allegation. Returning officers were sent from the national headquarters of the party.
“Our position is very simple. This decision by a faction of the SEC will not stand because we have 110 executive committee members. It was only 30 or so that signed this petition and article 21 required a two-thirds majority to remove the chairman even if he is found guilty and he cannot be removed without even a fair hearing. A fair hearing is not only in APC Constitution but also in the Nigerian constitution. So, it’s not something that will stand.
“We just called this press conference to let the world know that this thing is sponsored by the PDP and those people in APC claiming they are APC members are PDP members in reality. They are people that we know. They have made many statements. One of them said he will never disgrace their son who served as State governor for two terms. They defeat him as a senator in PDP. This is a clear indication that he’s working for PDP and he has said times without number that he will work for his governor who is a PDP candidate.
“For someone who’s a APC man to come out clearly to say he will work for somebody who’s in another political party, you don’t need to be told he’s working for that party and he’s against APC.
“As you are all aware, the party had issued timetable for fresh primary in Taraba State which by God’s grace will take place on 10 February, this Friday for governorship. For the House of Representatives and one state constituency, it will take place on the ninth”.
