Kogi APC crises: Ametu-led exco dismisses faction’s claims

The embattled All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership in Kogi State has dismissed claims by a parallel executive set up by Governor Yahaya Bello that it has expelled Hadi Ametu and members of his state working committee.

Reacting to the alleged expulsion the party chairman, Hadi Ametu, told The Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday, that there is nothing like any caretaker committee in Kogi State, as they remain the authentic executive of the party.

Ametu disclosed that the highest organ of the party, the National Executive Council (NEC) had endorsed them as the authentic executives after the purported kangaroo dissolution.

He said the APC NEC had resolved that the tenure of the present leadership from ward to national level be extended by one year, adding that his group was the executive that was officially invited for the NEC meeting.

Asking where Ahovi was when his group was invited to the NEC meeting, Ametu said the rival factional leader is somebody that had been suspended by the two-thirds of the party executive, and as such does not have any idea as to the Constitution of the party.

“Yes Ahovi is GYB chairman, not APC chairman. They are just making caricature of their failure. The NEC has reaffirmed our leadership as the authentic executives,” Ametu declared.

On the insinuations that his group cannot enter the state to carry out any function, the state chairman said he can hold meeting anywhere in Kogi, but noted that because of the interest of Kogi people they would not want to play into their hands to use their issue to cause violence and turn around to lay the blame on them.

He said: “Out of 56 executive members Ahovi group are only 11; how can they expel any person from the party? After the NEC has made its position clear, who are they to suspend anybody talk less of expulsion.

It would be recalled that the acting chairman on the side of Governor Bello’s faction, Ahovi, had earlier announced the expulsion of the Hadi-led faction.