Action Alliance dissociates self from protest against INEC chairman

From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure

The National Chairman of the party, Dr Adekunle Rufai Omoaje in a statement issued on Tuesday said a group of people is planning to protest against the INEC chairman on Friday with the aim of causing unrest.

He said the group had already concluded arrangements to employ the services of some hoodlums to cause trouble, adding that the group was also seeking for the support of some international organizations to fund the protest.

“We discovered that the said group is already talking to International bodies like EU, AU, Foreign Embassies, National leaders including a former President of Nigeria, the media, some other NGOs all in a bid to discredit INEC as a commission and in particular the Chairman of the commission Prof Yakub Mahmood,” he lamented.

Omoaje stated further that “these people in their shenanigan are claiming that Prof. Mahmood Yakub cannot conduct a free, fair and credible election. They also want to claim that the commission is not law abiding among others.

“However, it became expedient for me, Hon. Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje, the National Chairman of Action Alliance to set the records straight by dissociating our great Party; Action Alliance and myself from the purported revolt based on available facts at my disposal.

“As I have said at various fora, those laying claim to the chairmanship and secretaryship of the party are not even members of the party having been expelled in February 2020. These are the people planning the protest.

“As a party, we released a couple of disclaimers.

Surprisingly, Mr Kenneth Udeze and James A. Vernimbe are flagrantly flouting Court judgements and orders by persistently parading themselves as National Officers of our great Party still.

“At the face of these shenanigans, it is worth mentioning that the leadership of our party had been settled for long by Courts through affirmations of the suspension and expulsion of the duo of Udeze and Vernimbe among others. This judgements and orders have been affirmed by the Court of Appeal judgements.

“Therefore, it becomes illegal and criminal for expelled members of our party to continue to usurp and or misrepresent our great party anywhere.

“If anyone has any grouse against Professor Yakub Mahmood, it is not our business and we are not interested in fighting other people’s battle for them. Hence our resolve not allow anyone put our Party in bad light just for cheap popularity,” he added.