•Group warns Adamu to convene NEC or face court action
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) is far from being over as the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-West, Dr. Salihu Lukman, has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, President-elect Bola Tinubu and the Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, insisting that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party lacked power to expel him.
The National Legal Adviser of the party, Ahmad El-Marzuq, had recommended Lukman’s expulsion in a memo he wrote to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, dated April 28, 2023.
Responding to the memo in an open letter dated May 1, 2023, Lukman said while the issues raised in the memo were a response to the suit he filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja, he hoped that the memo would be presented to the meeting of NWC scheduled for Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
In that case, he stressed that the substantive issue would be the consideration of recommendation for disciplinary measures against him, which might require invoking Article 21.5 of the APC Constitution.
The National Vice Chairman pointed out that Article 21.3(i) of the APC constitution explicitly mandated only the Executive Committee of the party as the organ assigned the responsibility for disciplinary action as follows:
“A complaint by any member of the party against a Public Office holder, elected or appointed, or another member or against a party organ or officer of the party shall be submitted to the Executive Committee of that party at all levels concerned, which shall not later than seven (7) days of the receipt of the complaint, appoint a fact finding or Disciplinary Committee to examine the matter.”
Lukman emphasised that with the above provision, his expectation would be for the NWC to consider the memo and if adopted refer the recommendations for onward transmission to the National Executive Committee (NEC).
In that case, he said the NWC would then be acting as the complainant.
“There is nowhere in the APC Constitution where the NWC is given the power to discipline any member of the party. I have already forwarded the memo to my legal team for further legal action.
“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,” Lukman stated.
The party chieftain said such interpretation coming from the National Legal Adviser, whose legal qualification was not in doubt, smacked of deliberate attempt to manipulate the NWC into subverting the party’s constitution.
Meanwhile, Progressive Rights Group, has called on Adamu to immediately convene the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to render necessary accounts or be ready to face another court action.
National Convener of the group, Ibrahim Yusuf, in a statement, issued Monday said as members of the party, they would resist any attempt by Adamu and some members of the NWC to stifle Lukman, adding that they stood by Lukman for calling for the party’s to return to the path of constitutionalism.
“Of recent, our great party has been engulfed by a confidence crisis at the highest administrative level of the party, the National Working Committee (NWC),” the group said.
It noted that it was 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 in line with the vision of the founding fathers of the party.
The group stressed that issue of accountability was one key factor that distinguished APC from other parties in 2015 and earned it victory at the polls over the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration.
It however, lamented that down the line, especially in the last three years, the ruling party had been bogged by the PDP syndrome and the leaders have resorted to impunity and flagrant disobedience of the party constitution.
