Ekiti APC berates NWC over Ajimobi’s appointment as deputy chairman

• Says nomination contempt of court, nullity
• Insists on Senator Aluko

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Ekiti State Chapter, yesterday chided the National Working Committee (NWC) over the announcement of former Oyo State Governor, Senator Isiaka Ajimobi, as the Deputy National Chairman (South).

The National Publicity Secretary of APC, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, had on Wednesday, March 5, 2020, announced the nomination of Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman (South), among other vacant positions.

But the Ekiti APC insisted that no decision had been taken by the South-West caucus of the party leaders regarding the appointment of a Deputy National Chairman (South), as a meeting held for that purpose in Osun State in February was inconclusive.

A statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ade Ajayi, which was made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, said that the NWC statement was a fraudulent assertion.

Ajayi said that an aggrieved aspirant to the contentious vacant position had instituted an action at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti praying, among others, against any nomination or announcement of anyone to fill the vacant position pending the determination of the suit.

“For anyone to go ahead in taking any decision or action while the matter is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction will not only amount to over-reaching the court but contempt and nullity of the purported action and decision,” he said.

He said that as far as Ekiti APC was concerned, the position of Deputy National Chairman (South) of APC is still vacant and that whatever nomination and announcement that may have been made was nothing more than a nullity and exercise futility.

He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a press statement purportedly signed and released by the National Publicity Secretary of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, on Wednesday, March 5, 2020, in which he announced the nomination of former Oyo State Governor, Senator Isiaka Ajimobi as the Deputy National Chairman (South), among other vacant positions.

“We wish to categorically state here that the statement is a fraudulent assertion.

“As far as the Ekiti State APC Is concerned, our nominee for the vacant position of the Deputy Vice Chairman (South) is Senator Gbenga Aluko and we have not ceded our right to the position.”