The crisis rocking the leadership of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has taken a new twist as the Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa take protests to the residence of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
Earlier, Bello on Thursday stormed the national headquarters of the APC hours before the inauguration of the new officers of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Governor Bello, who stormed the party’s secretariat alongside his loyalist, went straight into the secretariat, and sources around had confirmed that his presence was to stop the inauguration of the new NWC members.
Governor Bello is insisting on the resignation of the party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary-designate, Duro Meseko. Ita-Giwa also maintained on getting explanations on why her candidate, Dr Stella Odey-Ekpo, was dropped for Dr Mary Idele from Edo State.
Recall that on Wednesday, the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, during a media briefing, disclosed the outcome of the NWC meeting held at the APC National Secretariat and the election of the new officials.
The new officials: Ali Bukar Dalori (Borno State) will serve as deputy national chairman, North (North East Zone) to replace the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, while Garba Datti Muhammad (Kaduna State), will replace Salihu Moh Lukman, as national vice chairman, North West (North West).
Ajibola disclosed that the NWC settled for Abdul Karim Abubakar Kana (Nasarawa State) (North Central Zone) for the position of national legal adviser as a replacement for his resigned predecessor.
He also announced Donatus Nwankpa (Abia State) as the new national welfare secretary (South East Zone) to replace the late Friday Nwosu and Mary Alile Idele from Edo State, who emerged as national women leader (South-South).
The ruling party equally settled for Duro Meseko (Kogi State) as deputy national publicity secretary (North Central Zone) to replace Yakubu Ajaka, just as Ikani Shuaibu Okolo (Kogi State) takes the position of zonal organizing secretary (North Central).
But the announcement of the elected officers from Abia, Kogi, and Cross River States threw the party into an unwanted crisis, as Bello claimed that the move of the Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC is an apparent contravention of the party’s constitution by known agents of destabilization.
After the drama at the APC secretariat, the Kogi State governor stormed the residence of the national chairman at about 6.15 pm after the planned inauguration of the National Working Committee zonal officers was abandoned.
Hitherto Bello’s arrival at Ganduje’s house, this platform gathered that Ita-Giwa, a former Senator for the Cross River South Senatorial District of Cross River State, was also there to query why her candidate was dropped.
Ita-Giwa, who was accompanied by the Chairman of Cross River APC, Adolphus Ogar, to Ganduje’s residence, told pressmen that “The position of the National Women Leader previously held by Dr Betta Edu has always been rotated between Cross River and Akwa Ibom. We don’t know why it was taken away from us.
“We urge the national chairman and the NWC to do the right thing.”
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