The leadership crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) diaspora structure has taken a fresh turn, as the APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen (CDC) has directed its Chairman, Hon. Tunde Doherty, to temporarily step aside pending the determination of a court case challenging the election that produced him as Chairman of the APC UK Chapter.

The decision was taken at a General House meeting of the APC Diaspora CDC/Executive Committee attended by 15 members, who said the move was necessary to protect the organisation from possible contempt of court and demonstrate respect for the rule of law.

The meeting was dominated by a subsisting court injunction said to have specifically affected the UK Chapter election that brought Doherty into office. Members, including Hon. Olalekan Ogunwede of Germany, Hon. Lawal Rilwan Lawal and Hon. Samuel Oluware of Scandinavia, reportedly warned that allowing Doherty to continue acting as CDC Chairman while the court order remains in force could expose the CDC and its executive members to contempt proceedings.

The House subsequently resolved that Doherty should step aside temporarily until the court determines the matter. Members stressed that the decision was not intended as a punitive measure against him, but as a legal safeguard designed to ensure that the diaspora body does not act in breach of a subsisting judicial order. The development comes against the background of previous leadership disputes within the APC diaspora structure, including controversies over the conduct and recognition of chapter elections.

The meeting also confirmed the Deputy Chairman of the CDC as Acting Chairman. The motion, moved by Hon. C. O. Micheletti of Ghana and seconded by Prince Chima Ibezim of Italy, was carried by a majority through a show of hands, with screenshots of the voting reportedly taken by Hon. Abayomi Awoseemo of South Africa for documentation.

In another resolution, the General House approved the creation of a backup APC CDC platform. The motion, moved by Hon. Samuel Oluware and seconded by Hon. Elias Abone of Canada, was carried, with 15 members joining the new platform immediately. The members said the platform was intended as a safeguard for continuity and communication rather than a move to create a parallel organisation.

The meeting further discussed the administration of the existing communication platforms. According to the minutes, some members of the Executive Committee and General House had been removed from the platforms by Secretary Amb. Stephen A. Tella, who was said to have retained sole administrative control. The House raised concerns over the development and the need to protect institutional access and ensure proper documentation of decisions.

The APC diaspora leadership has had a history of disagreements over chapter elections and the authority of its CDC structure. In 2023, the CDC, then led by Doherty, raised concerns over what it described as unauthorised congresses in several diaspora chapters, while in 2024 the body publicly maintained that its leadership had the support of the APC National Working Committee.

The latest resolution therefore represents another significant development in the prolonged leadership dispute, with the CDC now seeking to place its operations on what members described as a legally defensible footing while awaiting the court‘s determination.

The meeting was adjourned following a motion moved by Hon. Lawal Rilwan Lawal and seconded by Hajia Amina M. Baba Suzuki.

The three major resolutions were that Hon. Tunde Doherty should temporarily step aside pending the court’s determination; the Deputy Chairman should serve as Acting Chairman of the CDC; and a backup APC CDC platform should be maintained.