Taraba House Caucus Distances Self from APC Chair’s Removal

Udora Orizu in Abuja

Taraba caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives, has distanced itself from the controversial removal of the state party’s chairman, Hon. Ibrahim El-Sudi, saying the decision by a faction of the State Working Committee (SEC) would not stand.

Briefing journalists in Abuja, spokesman of the caucus, Hon. Usman Shidi, accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the mastermind of the crisis.

He noted that due process was not followed in the removal of El-Sudi, saying the action of a few members of the SEC was against section 12 of the APC constitution.

He said: “On behalf of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, Taraba State APC federal lawmakers and other SEC members, we by this press conference dissociate ourselves from calls for the resignation and the purported removal of Hon. El-Sudi as APC State Chairman through a press conference held on the 3rd day of February, 2023 by a skewed and self-serving section of the State Executive Committee not properly constituted and without a quorum and consulting the state caucus created by Article 12.9 of the APC Constitution.

“We jointly and severally wish to affirm our faithfulness to the APC constitution which clearly stipulates procedure for leadership election and removal. We want the national leadership of our party and world to know that the perpetrators of this unholy idea are in deep romance and in fact, sponsored by the Peoples Democratic Party state government in Taraba to destabilise the APC.”

Also speaking, a member of the caucus, representing Jalingo/Yorro/Zing federal constituency of the State, Hon. Hassan Bello Maigari, refuted the allegations against the sacked APC state chairman, adding that he wasn’t a delegate or returning officer in the primary election that produced the party’s governor candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha and so, could not have been the reason for his sack by the Supreme Court last week.

“We are concerned but we are not surprised because we know people are working against the interest of the party. They are the ones pushing all those things. It’s well organised and executed by the PDP government and their sponsors.

“They all know that every Taraban is aware of these events. They are all sponsored by the PDP. On what transpired 3 or 4 days ago, we are concerned but not surprised actually.  Removing El-Sudi will not bring solutions. Let’s assume without conceding to what they have said, if you love a party, you cannot create problem at this material time.”