Dantalle is chairman as IPAC elects new NEC

The Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, has elected its National Executive Committee (NEC) to stir the affairs of the committee.

The national chairman of Allied People’s Movement (APM), Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, emerged as the new chairman, while Hon. Dipo Olayoku of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) emerged as the new Deputy National Chairman.

Dantalle defeated the incumbent Chairman, Yabagi Sani, who is the national chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), with ten votes. Sani recorded eight votes while one vote was voided.

The results of the elections were announced by the IPAC, electoral committee chairman, Chief Dan Nwanyanwu.

Others elected included: Dipo Olayoku as Deputy National Chairman ‘unopposed’; Martins Egbeola, National Organizing Secretary; Maxwell Magbuden, National Secretary; Obed Agu, National legal Adviser; Mariam Babel, National Treasurer, and Ibrahim Suleiman, National Financial Secretary.

Speaking shortly after the election, Dantalle thanked members of the IPAC for trusting him to lead the council.

He pledged to discharge his responsibility with the law guiding the council while working with all party leaders.

He sought the collaboration of all polity leaders, pledging to also work with the women.

Dantalle said: “I want to assure women that IPAC under my leadership will have something greater and better. If I have the mandate of the assembly I will seek to establish the directorate of women affairs to ensure women inclusivity is taken to a greater level under my leadership.

“Secondly, I want to try as such as possible within the next three months of our administration to ensure that IPAC is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).”

In his own remarks, former Chairman of IPAC, Sani, congratulated Dantalle for emerging victorious, saying democracy has come to play.

Sani said: “We are supposed to demonstrate maturity and humility. We are supposed to demonstrate love for our democracy. This is one of the things that defines democracy from any other form of government, which is having elections.

“Results have shown that Dantalle eventually won the election. I have congratulated him already. I wish that in the years to come I will have reasons to be proud of whatever he does to take IPAC to a higher level than we met it.”