Disquiet in APC as Two Members Resign from Party, PCC

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Less than two months to the February 25 presidential election, two members of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have resigned their membership of the party and the campaign council.

The development, however, has caused some disquiet within the ruling party as the duo cited different reasons for their resignation.

The Assistant Secretary of the North Central Directorate of Mobilisation, Ahmed Ibeto, in a letter dated January 3, 2023, addressed to APC Ibelu Central Ward, Magama Local Government, Niger State, said his resignation was due to lack of unity of purpose and unending litigation, among others.

“I write you with all sense of humility, respect and regards as the Chairman of APC, Ibelu Central Ward to convey to you the resignation of my membership of All Progressives Congress from today 3rd January, 2023.

“Mr. Chairman, with my many years of active participation in politics and as a former party administrator, and elected official into many political offices, I have come to this conclusion for many reasons.

“Chiefly among which are the absence of unity of purpose among party members and stakeholders occasioned by internal conflicts, unending litigations, internal threats and counter threats of anti-party activities, lack of genuine reconciliation, couple with lack of commitments and dedications to the success of the party by many stakeholders.  For these obvious reasons, I concluded that I cannot continue to be a member of the party,” he said.

By the resignation, he submitted he stated thus, “I cease to be a member of the Presidential Campaign Council, Assistant Secretary of the North Central Directorate of Mobilization and all organs and committees of the party.”

On his part, a member of the Directorate of Youth Mobilisation, North East, Zanna Ali, said his resignation was based on the inability of APC to present a credible presidential candidate, according to a letter dated January 1, 2023 and addressed to the secretary of the Council, Hon. James Faleke.

Ali said he decided to put national interest above personal desire, hence, his decision to resign his membership of the party.

His letter stated: “I humbly wish to write and inform your respected office that, I, Zanna Bukar Ali, a member of the Presidential Campaign Council, Directorate of National Youth Mobilisation under the distinguished Leadership of His Excellency, Alh. Yahaya Bello, the National Coordinator of the National Youth Mobilization of the PCC with serial number 51, National Youth Mobilization, North East Directorate wish to tender my resignation as a member of the committee forthwith.”

Ali stressed that his resignation applied to all other APC presidential and APC support groups campaigning for the party’s candidate, Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima, noting that he had been a loyal party member from 2015 to date, with numerous contributions to the party especially, in the 2019 presidential campaigns.

“I am grateful to my former party and my principal in the party for my appointment as a member of the Committee, it is indeed a great honour for me to be part of the committee, but I believe that the National interest supersedes my personal interest.

“And based on the inability of the party to present a credible candidate for Nigerians is another reason why I took my decision as a concerned Nigerian. On this note, I resolved to resign my appointment as a Member of the committee,” he said.