2023 poll: Taraba APC stakeholders fault alleged removal of state party chairman, El-Sudi

…..urges Abdullahi Adamu led NWC to wade in

Members of the Taraba caucus of the All progressive congress (APC) yesterday rose from an emergency meeting faulting the purported removal of the chairman of the state chapter of the party, Mr Ibrahim El-Suldi.

The caucus comprising the leadership of the party in Taraba State, APC Federal Lawmakers and other State Executive Council members dissociated themselves from the sack of the state chairman.

Led by a member of the House of Representatives, Mr Usman Danjuma Shidi, the group at a press conference in Abuja described those behind as skewed and self-serving persons working in cahoots with the ruling people’s democratic party (PDP) to undermine the APC in the state.

The caucus maintained that members of the State Executive Committee that purportedly partook in the act were not properly constituted in line with Article 12.9 of the APC Constitution.

The caucus called on the leadership of the party at the national level to immediately wade in and rein on everyone, and ensure every member of the party adhered to the party constitution.

The caucus noted: “We jointly and severally wish to affirm our faithfulness to the APC constitution which clearly stipulates the procedure for leadership election and removal. The Preamble of Article 21 of the APC Constitution is neither there for fancy nor is it cosmetic.

“Having not invoked and exhausted paragraphs A-C of Article 21 of the APC Constitution, can those claimed to have removed Hon. El-Sudi by invoking Section 21, paragraph D (v) of the APC Constitution be said to have validly exercised such powers assuming but not conceding they were properly constituted. The answer to this question is certainly in negative.

“As the ruling political party at the national level and governing majority of the States in Nigeria, the party cannot afford to appear like a huge joke by allowing some skewed and self-serving people to purport to have removed the party Chairman in a way and manner at variance with the party constitution.

“This charade can at best be described as a failed civilian coup sponsored by enemies of the party. Such travesty of law must not be allowed to fester.

“We do not see any justification in fact and none at least backed by law for the purported removal from office of our State Chairman, especially at this very critical stage of preparation for elections.

” Such calls and attempts in some quarters purportedly to have extra-constitutionally removed the State Chairman is a calculated attempt to sabotage the party’s efforts at winning the 2023 general polls in the State at all levels.

” For the records, Hon. El-Sudi was duly elected at a properly constituted State Congress with a four-year mandate and has for the umpteenth time received a vote of confidence and even recently from the party’s State Executive Committee.

“In the light of Article 21 of the APC Constitution, the way and manner Hon. El-Sudi was purportedly removed as constitutionally flawed in SUBSTANCE and PROCEDURE. It is instructive and pertinent to note that our party has championed the sanctity of the APC Constitution (2022 as amended). We must therefore do everything to maintain this sanctity.

“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.

” We must point out clearly that any action by anyone or group that undermines the spirit of the party’s constitution at this crucial stage can only be likened to mutiny and considered as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the party’s efforts at winning in the coming general elections, and such elements must be decisively dealt with as provided for by the party’s constitution.

“We advise that we should always de-brief ourselves in-house no matter what the anger is, rather than playing the ostrich and to the gallery.

“The concern of every party member and Hon. El-Sudi’s determination to protect the interest of our members against any form of anti-party activities and open attempts to undermine the leadership of the party is deeply appreciated. However, we must be guided by the ethos of the supremacy of the party and its constitution.

“Going forward, our focus should be directed mainly to encouraging our teeming members to rally around our candidates vying for the Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and presidential positions and ensure that they win elections. This is more critical and essential than being bile and vile against party men and women.

“The Taraba APC caucus in the National Assembly and indeed other SEC members have confidence in the Hon. El-Sudi leadership prowess so far and we pledge our unwavering support and unalloyed commitment to our Presidential Candidate, H.E Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, H.E Sen. Kashim Shettima.

“We must reiterate the fact that our mission to redeem, rebuild and redirect Taraba on the path of shared prosperity is a task that must be done, to save our dear State from imminent total collapse which has been caused by the incumbent failed PDP leadership. Tarabans look up to the APC to redeem our dear state from the current rot.

” We must also caution that all efforts geared towards actualizing this must be centred on resolving our internal party issues within the Constitution and rules of the party. As a political party, we have our Constitution, our rules and regulations which adequately stipulate the mode of operation of the party, its organs and its powers.

” So, as members of the State Caucus of the party, we urge that no matter the level of disagreement, it should be resolved within our rules and not extra-constitutionally as witnessed in the actions of those who purported to have removed Hon. El-Sudi as the State Chairman of the party.”