All Progressive Congress (APC) stalwarts in Bauchi State have explained that they have sued the national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the conduct of the ward and local government congresses of the party in the state in order to get justice and to strengthen the party democracy and the rule of law.
The APC stakeholders, which included Mr. Ibrahim Zailani, Captain Muhammad Bala JIbrin and Alhaji Muhammad Aminu Tukur, stated this while interacting with reporters Tuesday in Bauchi.
They claimed that the conduct of the congresses was in breach of the APC constitution and congress guidelines, and alleged that the results of the ward and local government congresses in the state were “cooked upâ€.
The aggrieved members also said they went to court “because the purported APC ward and local government congresses conducted in Bauchi State on 5th and 12th May, 2018 were fraught with widespread irregularities from the initial preparations to the eventual conduct of the purported congresses, disenfranchising many aspirants and members of the party from participation”.
They  claimed that “the ward congress is the root upon which the conduct of local and state government congresses is predicated, and as same has turned out to be a total fiasco, we went to court  to nullify same after following all party machineries to get justice failedâ€.
They said: “Politics and democracy and the rule of law are for the well being of the people. And you can’t treat them with injustice.”
Counsel to the aggrieved APC stalwarts, Mr. Isa Mohammed, said: “My clients were denied the opportunity to participate in the congresses, because the forms were released to them on the day of the election contrary to the guidelines of the ward congresses that gives 24 hours for interested persons to fill the form and return  it.
“The congress committee didn’t share forms until 2pm on Saturday date of the election. So how could the participants fill and submit them that very day, especially considering even if we have to take it to the electorate in Zaki or Futuk?â€
Isa added that effort to lodge complain before the Appeal Committee set up by the national leadership of the party failed because the members of the committee didn’t make themselves available which left them with no option than to go to court to seek for justice.
The defendants in the suit are APC National Chairman Oyegun, National Secretary of APC, state chairman of APC, Dr. Tony Macfoy and Mr. Sam Para.
The plaintiffs are Speaker Dogara, Senators Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau, Muhammad Muhammad, Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, Hon. Ibrahim Zailani, Ambassador Yusuf M. Tuggar, Captain Mohammed Bala Jibrin, Hon. Aminu Tukur and Hon. Maryam Garba Bagel.
