From John Adams, Minna
The new Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has insisted that the sack of its embattled Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer and their subsequent prosecution is irreversible.
Chairman Engineer Jibrin Iman and two other members of the state Executive Council were removed from office about five months ago for alleged ‘gross misconduct, financial misappropriation and abuse of office.’
The party has washed its hand off a court case involving the former chairman and three others at a Minna Chief Magistrate court where they are being accused of mismanaging party fund amounting to about N850million.
The Legal Adviser of the party, Alhaji Khaleel Aliyu, in a statement made available to newsmen in Minna on Tuesday, said with the inauguration of Alhaji Saidu Galkogo as state chairman by Alhaji Mai Mala Buni led National caretaker committee “has put paid to any claim Alhaji Jibrin Imam has on the state Chairmanship of the party. He should therefore stop groping in the dark.
The embattled Chairman had insisted that he remained the authentic Chairman of the new Caretaker committee in the state, stressing that he was the duly elected Chairman by the December 8th, 2018 congress of the party.
He accused Governor Bello of fueling the crisis in the party in the state, adding that of all the members of the Governor Buni led National Caretaker Committee, only Governor Bello that has failed to resolve the crisis in his state.
But the legal adviser said in the statement: ‘The case Engineer Imam has in court today does not have anything to do with our party, it is a Criminal case – The Commissioner of Police Vs Engineer Jibrin Imam.’
According to him: ‘All other cases the party had in court had been withdrawn on the directive of the National Caretaker Committee.’
Contrary to Iman’s claim that the Governor was destroying the party, he said Imam was responsible for misleading the party alleging that the former Chairman in one fell swoop dismissed 120 man strong members of the party from his own Gurara local government area alone.
‘We are trying to correct all the ills perpetrated by the sacked chairman, we have already set up a reconciliatory committee to link up with those injured by the former chairman and bring them back to the fold.’
According to Aliyu, the efforts of the party has started yielding favourable results with not less than 2000 new members now registered with the party and ‘will be unveiled very soon.’
He commended Governor Abubakar Sani Bello for being a true democrat, saying the Governor has given unfettered freedom for all arms of government and even the party to operate as provided for by the law.
‘We are indeed satisfied with the track record of good performance of our hard-working Governor, Alhaji Dr Abubakar Sani Bello since he came into office. So far the Governor has executed 1623 projects in the 25 Local Government Areas of the state. We have a compendium for this that anyone who cares can see.’
Aliyu assured that the APC will continue to wax strong and pleaded with those that have left the party because of the misrule of Alhaji Imam to return.
Last week the embattled APC sacked chairman Alhaji Jibrin Imam accused the state Governor Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello of fueling the crisis in the party.
Imam also claimed that he remains the legally elected state chairman of the party and should therefore be sworn in as Caretaker Committee Chairman.