The crisis rocking the ruling All progressive congress (APC) deepened Thursday as a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) Salihu Lukman dragged the party’s national chairman, Sennator Abdullahi Adamu to court over alleged breach of the constitution.
Salihu, who is also the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-west, in a suit filed at an Abuja Federal High Court informed President Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Progressive Governors Forum, through a letter addressed to the President, that he was left with no option but to approach the court when it became obvious that Adamu was bent on perpetuating the alleged illegality upon the expiration of the 7 days ultimatum which expired on Wednesday.
The defendants in the suit include the APC national chairman, APC national Secretary, INEC and the party.
Lukman said in the letter a copy obtained througha source that “I have therefore proceeded to institute a legal action, seeking to compel Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. lyiola Omisore being respectively APC National Chairman and National Secretary to compel them to comply with the requirements of running affairs of the party as enshrined in the provisions of the APC constitution.
“Your Excellency, as things are, I am painfully left with no option. It is quite disheartening that under the leadership of HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, we are failing to abide by the provisions our party’s constitution and the party is being managed based on discretionary decisions of Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore.
“Basic requirements for accountability as enshrined in the party’s constitution are being violated. This is very unfortunate.
Certainly, this is not the vision that produced the APC. If for anything, our inability to comply with provisions of our party’s constitution under the leadership of HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu represents betrayal of trust and the confidence reposed in us as members of the National Working Committee individually and collectively.
“Given the high confidence you had in HE Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, which made you to nominate him to emerge as the National Chairman of our party, the least one would expect is that he will conduct himself strictly based on requirements as provided in the APC constitution.
“It is my strong view that APC is the most important political legacy you gave to Nigerians. It was your leadership, ni partnership with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other party leaders that produced the success story of the merger negotiations of 2012/2013 and the defeat of PDP in 2015.
“Having participated in the advocacy for the merger that produced the APC and being a founding member of the party privileged to be a member of the current NWC, I find it very compelling to take this legal action to enforce accountability within the party.
“It is my hope that this court action will be concluded before May 29, 2023 and a NEC meeting of the party will hold before the end of Your Excellency’s tenure in office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as one leader who has given our party its current electoral life.
“As members of the APC, we will remain grateful to you and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the inspirational leadership you have given us al these years. The least we must all do as loyal party members and leaders is to ensure that provisions of our party constitution are respected.”
Meanwhile the President-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, Thursday in Abuja, met with the All Progressives Congress governors who paid him a courtesy visit and urged them to work with the party leadership and lawmakers on the election of principal officers of the National Assembly.
At the meeting he said: “We thank God Almighty for our electoral victory. It was tough and turbulent.
“The challenge before us is working in unison with the party leadership and the National Assembly over the election of their principal officers. And I charge you to unite in spirit and faith and work in line with the party,” he said.
The President-elect told the governors and former governorship candidates of the party that “whether you return or not, this is our government.
“Once we know what we are doing and communicating as elected leaders and loyal party men, we will conquer the challenge.”
He reiterated his earlier admonitions that, as leaders, they were elected to serve the people and humanity with fairness and justice.
Sounding emotional, he expressed gratitude to God that he, “the first Muslim minority from the South-West got the blessing of Allah to be elected president.”
Dismissing speculations about his health, the President-elect said “all speculation has been perished and their purveyors brought to shame.”
The Chairman of the Progressive Governors who is also the governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, led his colleagues to Tinubu’s residence.
Among those in attendance were Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima and Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (CrossRivers), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).
There were also the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe and APC governorship candidate in Kano State, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
Governor Bagudu said the visit was to congratulate Asíwájú Tinubu over the election, extend goodwill to him over the end of Ramadan Fast and welcome him back from his recent travel and celebrate with him.
He also said, however, that the governors were ready for any assignment the President-elect may give them.
On the task with respect to the election of presiding officers of the National Assembly, he pledged that the governor would continue to discuss and work with the party and the lawmakers to arrive at the best decision in the interest of the country.
