.Garba heads gov’s reconciliatory committee
By Ummi Ismael,
Minna
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State may likely last longer as the ruling party has split into two in the state.
The two groups have also set up different reconciliation committees thereby making peace difficult to achieve.
The APC loyal to Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello Monday night set up a reconciliatory committee headed by General Mohammed Garba while the group led by the embattled Chairman, Mr. Mohammad Jibrin Imam, at the weekend set up similar committee for the same reason.
At the party’s critical stakeholders meeting with the state executive at a meeting which took place at Alovera Hotel, Tunga Minna, Jibrin Imam said that the State Executive Committee (SEC) has resolved to rebuild and reposition APC for better performance ahead of the 2023 general election with the constitution of five different committees including that of reconciliation.
While apologising to members for some of his ‘identified errors’, the embattled chairman blamed the intra-APC crisis to what he termed desperation on the parts of some few members and moles, who according to him, were desperate to frustrate the chances of the party in 2023.
“There are plans by some people to ensure they do away with me to actualize their dreams of 2023 ambition”, Imam said, emphasizing, however, that he remained the only recognised APC chairman for Niger State.
Imam, who expressed party supremacy above individual or group interests, pointed out: “My executive was set up by the National Secretariat of the APC, considering article 20 of the party constitution on elections of its officials through congress or conventions”.
Imam, who is also the North-Central chairman of chairmen of APC, further explained that ‘the purported claimed appointed or nominated party officials will be dismantled in no distant future’ encouraged party faithful and stakeholders in the state to always forward their complaints and observations on how to move the party forward to be forwarded to the Governor for appropriate action.
Meanwhile, another meeting took place at Government House Monday night, presided over by Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello, where a reconciliatory committee headed by General Mohammed Garba was set up for same purpose of bringing the APC back as one.
Other committees set up during the government meeting at the instance of Governor Bello whereby among resolutions included party membership, Finance, Publicity, Contacts and well, Mobilization.
Governor Sani Bello had implored members to protect the ruling APC by paying deserved attention to affairs of the party to enable it accomplish its core mandate in Niger State.
“We have to make sure that we go by the APC constitution, we have to rebuild the party. It is time for us to reunite, hold and protect the party. I call on you to pay attention to events happening in the party so that everybody would be carried along”.
Bello further hinted that allegations of financial misappropriation leveled against the former Chairman, Jibrin Imam, and two other state officials of the party were too weighty to be ignored hence relevant provisions of APC constitution were invoked to remove them from office.
According to him, “It is an aberration for the former Chairman not to call for SEC and Caucus meetings of the party in almost four years from 2015 to 2019 against the party’s constitutional provision for such meetings quarterly.
“Something is fundamentally wrong. Let me also make it clear that there is no conflict between the former chairman and I as insinuated in some quarters. My position is that we must abide by the provisions of the constitution in running the affairs of the party”, Governor Bello said.
Among state APC members in attendance includes; members of the 9th National Assembly led by Senator Abdullahi Sabi and one of the founding fathers of the APC in Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Magaji.
