Anger In Cross River, Kogi APC As Party Holds Midnight Inauguration For NWC Members

The Cross River State and Kogi State chapters of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, are seething over the hurried and secret inauguration of new members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, against protests that had greeted the emergence of the members.

The NWC had been mandated by the National Executive Committee, NEC, during its 12th Session held on August 3, in Abuja, to fill positions vacated by Abdullahi Adamu and Iyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively.

Also, there were vacancies for deputy national chairman (North), occupied by Senator Abubakar Kyari; national women leader, Betta Edu and others, who either by their resignation to pick up ministerial positions or act of dissent to the new leadership of the party reduced the members of NWC.

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Ajibola Bashiru had emerged during the NWC meeting as national chairman and secretary respectively.

But the party leadership led by Ganduje, without their knowledge, rejected the candidates which the state caucuses and zones had submitted and picked different individuals with some candidates from different states entirely.

It was immediately greeted with protest which forced Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello and former presidential aide to Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Ita Giwa to lead protests to the national headquarters of the party.

The event which was billed to hold on Thursday was postponed indefinitely to accommodate the interest of the protesters in order to amicably resolve it.

The APC leadership, seeing that protesters had dispersed for dialogue, held the inauguration on Friday night.

The list of those inaugurated as seen by THE WHISTLER were the Deputy National Chairman, North, Ali Bukar Dalori (Borno State); National Vice Chairman, North West, Garba Datti Muhammad (Kaduna State); National Legal Adviser, Prof. Abdul Karim Abubakar Kana (Nasarawa State); and National Welfare Secretary, Donatus Nwankpa (Abia State).

Others were National Woman Leader, Mary Alile Idele, PhD (Edo State); and, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko (Kogi State).

Senior party figures in Cross River State lamented that, “it’s an act of impunity and disregard for due process. The National Chairman can’t agree to a dialogue and negotiation and in the middle of the night inaugurate people.”

He vowed that “the last has not been here of this act of deceit” declaring that “the national chairman with bad antecedent has shown he cannot be trusted and can’t be worked with.

“We are all angry and everybody in the state is angry. Every APC member in Cross River and Kogi and other affected states and caucuses are angry because we all protested and registered our displeasure and anger and he promised no inauguration.

“I call what he has done as an act of impunity.”

Speaking after the inauguration, Ganduje said, “There is no doubt that during the last meeting of the National Executive Committee NEC of our party, the NWC was mandated to undertake some tasks on behalf of NEC.

“We have succeeded. We consulted with stakeholders, governors and others. We know there are some aggrieved people and they are very important. We will discuss with them and I will speak later on that.

“We have succeeded. We consulted with stakeholders, governors and others. We know there are some aggrieved people and they are very important. We will discuss with them and I will speak later on that.

“We have taken a decision that every Wednesday, we will conduct our weekly NWC meeting. It is very important. Also, we have already made a resolution that our party as an institution will be active throughout the year and not just during election periods.

“Our party will have operational and functional offices right from the wards, LGs, States, Zonal and national offices as you can see. We believe we will be able to abide by all these,” he added.

He declared that, “Very soon we will launch the National Campaign Councils for our three states – Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi- going into elections this year. Instead of inaugurating the councils here in Abuja, we have decided to do so in the various state capitals so that we can connect with the various stakeholders.

“All of you are competent. We have seen your credentials and you have been nominated and elected through due process by the various stakeholders and therefore we congratulate you.

“As earlier mentioned, there is no doubt that there are some people who are also competent but you can only fill a person.

“From Kogi state, we have Ismail Yahaya. We have taken note of him and he will be engaged in one way or another. We have Ikani Shuaibu Okolo from Kogi state. He too will be engaged appropriately in our government.

“Mrs Obinna from Abia, she too will be accommodated. Hon. Dr Stella Ekpo from Cross River. I think she is a medical doctor. She and two others from Cross River state, according to the outcome of our dialogue, will be accommodated in our government.

“With these, I think we have achieved complete agreement and dialogue. We have achieved dialogue and we have deepened dialogue within our party and this is our culture.

“We are not dictators but that does not mean that everyone must necessarily agree with you”, Ganduje said.