Taraba APC disassociates self from Alhassan’s comments

The Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disassociated itself from the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Jumai Alhassan, who openly declared support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for the 2019 presidential race.

The Integrity Group of the party said this yesterday while briefing journalists in Jalingo, pointing out that they disagree with Alhassan’s actions and comments.

Led by its Director of Administration and Communications, Aron Atimas, the group condemned in the strongest terms the brazen attempt to draw the party into the inappropriate and unnecessary controversy even when ban on political activities have not been lifted.

Flanked by the former governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Ahmed Yusuf, Ibrahim Goje, Nigeria Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, Hassan Ardo Jika, among others, the group blamed the APC Executive in the state for the development.

“The state APC Executive must take the greater blame for allowing itself to be hoodwinked and recruited into a project that has now embarrassed the party.

“The state Executive Committee of the party has lost its moral right to continue in office. For supporting Atiku, even when ban on party activities has not been lifted,” Atimas said.

Meanwhile, the crisis rocking the Adamawa State chapter of the APC) has deepened, as Governor Mohammed Umaru Bindow, banned some state executive members of the party from participating in the close door meeting held with the national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun at Government House, Yola.

Those banned from the meeting included the Vice Chairman, Central Zone, Ezra Dimmas and his Southern Zone, Mohammed Audu and others allegedly loyal to the party’s faction in the state headed by former governor Murtala Nyako.

Dimmas and Audu were turned back from the government house gate, as Bindow’s security aides told them that their names were not on the list of those billed to attend the meeting.

Narrating the experience, Audu told journalists that he was officially invited to the meeting through a text message but was stopped at the gate.“When I got the text message from the content I knew that the governor had a different plan. Why is it that the list was given at the gate and not at the door of the venue, we in APC know everything Bindow is planning and we are ready to face him,” he said.

Also lamenting the ban, Dimmas said that he was not invited for the meeting, but when he learnt that other working committee members were invited, he went for the meeting, but he was stopped at the gate.