Concerned Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress has vowed to resist any attempt to intimidate or expel the National Vice Chairman for North-West, Mallam Salihu Lukman, for dragging the leadership of the party to court over an alleged breach of the constitution.
This was even as the group called on the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to give an up-to-date account of the party’s revenue, including the money raised from sales of nomination forms in the last year.
The development is coming 24 hours after the National Legal Adviser of the party, Ahmad El-Marzuq, recommended the expulsion of Lukman over his action.
El-Marzuq’s recommendation was contained in a leaked ‘legal opinion’ written to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, dated April 28, 2023.
In a swift reaction, the Kaduna politician warned on Monday that the disciplinary measure being proposed by the APC legal counsel would not deter him from pursuing the case up to Supreme Court.
According to him, there is nowhere in the APC Constitution where the National Working Committee is given the power to discipline any member of the party.
He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the suit in question, which is being alleged to constitute anti-party activity will have to go ahead, especially to correct the erroneous interpretation of the Constitution by the National Legal Adviser to the effect that ‘it is not mandatory to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee every quarter for the purpose of presenting activities of the Party to the members of NEC.’”
“Coming from the national legal adviser whose legal qualification is not in doubt smacks of a deliberate attempt to manipulate the NWC into subverting the Party’s constitution. Let me say it very clearly that I will proceed with the legal action I instituted to restore Constitutional order in APC up to the supreme court.
“It is pathetic that the national legal adviser, rather than providing an unbiased legal opinion to guide deliberations of organs of the party, would descend so low as to imagine that threats of disciplinary action are what is required at this point.”
Lukman’s bold decision to sue the leadership of the party was applauded on Monday by a group of concerned APC supporters under the aegis of the Progressives Rights Group.
A statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Ibrahim Yusuf, stated that the plot to intimidate or silence would be resisted by the party faithful.
Yusuf expressed concerns that despite the huge revenues accrued to the party from the sale of nomination forms to aspirants at the just concluded general elections, the Adamu-led NWC is still owing members assigned for party assignments.
He said, “This conspiracy to stifle internal democracy by spawning candidates was as high up as the National Chairman of the Party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu himself. A man many of us warned was not a party member at heart. A man who was causing trouble in his state of origin against a sitting Governor. A man who made us lose prominent members like Ahmed Aliyu Wadada. He defected to SDP and won the seat.
“The Chairman must be accountable. He must call for a NEC meeting immediately and render the necessary accounts. Failure of which we will institute an action in court against the chairman, National Secretary and the Legal Adviser of the party. They are managers of the party, not owners.
“This must be made very clear to them. It is on record that some well-meaning members of the party have severally raised the need for the party to toe the line of progressivism by ensuring strict adherence to the constitutional provisions of the party; allowing all organs of the party to function; engaging party leaders and members in regular meetings olive to the vision of the founding fathers of the party.
“In the build-up to the National Convention that produced the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, it will be recalled that our National Leader, President Muhammadu Buhari directed a refund of nomination fees to all aspirants who voluntarily stepped down for the party’s consensus arrangement. A year after this directive, it is sad that the NWC has failed to honour it, despite being the direct beneficiary of the arrangement. No one has been paid their money back.
“Despite the huge revenues accrued to the party from the sale of nomination forms to aspirants for the just concluded general elections, Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC is still owing members on party assignments.
“Sadly the affairs of the party had been conducted discretionally at the expense of the party’s constitution.
“Let it be clear that as members of this party, we will resist any attempt by the Chairman and some members of the NWC to stifle Malam Salihu Lukman or fail to attend to all the pertinent issues raised.
“We stand by Malam Salihu Lukman and we call for the party to return to the path of constitutionalism.”
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