From John Adams, Minna
The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger State has urged the suspended Chairman of the party in the state, Engineer Jibrin Imam, to go and face his corruption charges and stop meddling in party affairs until the court decides his fate.
The party reminded the embattled chairman that his suspension alongside his secretary, Barrister Mohammed Liman, from the party over allegations of financial misappropriation running into hundreds of millions of naira remains and thus he has no business with party affairs, including the last Saturday’s Ward Congress.
The party in a statement by the Ward Chairman of the suspended state chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Tachi, described the allegation by the suspended state chairman that there was no congress in the 224 wards of the state as mischievous, untrue and baseless.
The statement, while urging the public to disregard such wide allegation from ‘a capsizing individual’, pointed out that rather than burying his head in shame over his monumental embezzlement of the party funds, ‘the chairman is busy seeking relevance in the media by castigating the party.’
The embattled chairman had alleged that no ward congress of the party took place across the 224 wards in the 25 local government areas of the state last Saturday contrary to what the public was made to believe.
The chairman said what took place last Saturday was an exercise in futility and can not stand as all the laid down procedures for the conduct of a party congresses were not followed by those behind what took place on Saturday.
He further alleged that there was no congress committee from the party national secretariat in Abuja to supervise the congress that took place on Saturday.
But according to Mallam Tachi in the statement, ‘for the avoidance of doubt, there were congresses in the 224 wards in the 25 local government areas of the state, and all the due process and procedures for the conduct of a party congresses were strictly adhered to and supervised by the congress committee from the party national headquarters, led by Senator Domingo Abende.
‘The party in the state adopted a consensus congress which went on very peacefully, devoid of any rancour under the supervision of the congress committee from Abuja. So it is sad for the suspended chairman to sit in the comfort of his home and to alleged that no congress of the party took place last Saturday.’
The statement further disclosed that the embattled chairman who is fully aware of his suspension from the party did not bother to appear in his ward for the congress, adding that ‘as the Ward Chairman of the State Chairman, I did not see him on the day of the congress and I am sure he is aware of his suspension that was why he did not show up.’