APC Petitions IG, Demands Arrest of Persons Impersonating Ganduje’s Ward Executives

*Inaugurates Ondo guber primary election, appeal C’ttees 

*S’east urges national chairman to reject list

*Group wants national chairmanship position returned to north central

Adedayo Akinwale, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The All Progressives Congress (APC), has petitioned the  Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, demanding  investigation and apprehension of one Auwalu Jemomi and eight others for impersonating  party executives of Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.

The legal adviser of Ganduje’s ward, Haladu Gwanjo, Monday, explained that they decided to suspend Ganduje from the party due to the allegations against him by the state government bordering on bribery.
Also, Kano State High Court on Wednesday affirmed the suspension following an ex parte order restraining him from further parading himself as a member of APC.

But the National Legal Adviser of the party, Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, in a petition dated April 16, said the unauthorised and misleading statement created significant confusion and unrest among  members of APC and the public at large.
The petition read: “As the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I. am writing to formally petition your esteemed offices to investigate and apprehend the following persons: Auwalu Galadima Jemomi, Muhde Weti, Danmala Gale, Samaila Haladu, Laminu Sani Barguma, Musa Lado, Lado Maishayi, Amadu Maishayi and  Umar Amarwa.
“The above-mentioned persons have falsely claimed to be party executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.

“Specifically, on April 15, 2024, Auwalu Galadima Jemomi and his accomplices, claiming to be party executives of the APC from Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government, Kano State, falsely issued a press statement suspending our National Chairman, Dr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, from the party.
“This unauthorised and misleading statement has created significant confusion and unrest among our members and the public at large.”
Kana noted that such impersonation and dissemination of false information were not only illegal but also havd the potential to disrupt public peace and order.
He, therefore, requested the Police to promptly investigate the matter and apprehend Jemomi and his accomplices involved in this fraudulent act.
Kana further requested the police to identify and investigate any sponsors or conspirators associated with this incident beyond those explicitly named in this petition.

APC NWC Inaugurates Ondo Guber Primary Election, Appeal Committees

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has inaugurated a seven-man committee to conduct the Ondo State Governorship primary election scheduled to hold on Saturday.
The committee, headed by the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, would conduct a direct primary election in the 18 local government areas of the state to elect the standard bearer of the party.

A former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege would serve as the Secretary of the Primary Election Committee.
Other members are Senator Lekan Mustapha; Hon. Adefunmilayo Tejuoso; Chief Meg Duru; former Oyo Deputy Governor Iyiola Oladokun and Dr. Sani Danjuma.
Also, the party also inaugurated a five-man Primary Election Appeal Committee headed by former Bauchi Governor, Mohammed Abubakar.
The five-man Mohammed Abubakar Appeal Committee has Chief Obiocha Israel as Secretary while other members are Jamilu Isiyiaka Gwamna, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon and Mr. Onyeka Okafor.
Meanwhile,  no fewer than 171, 922 delegates would elect its candidate for the September Governorship election in Ondo state.
The National Organising Secretary of the party, Muhammad Argungu disclosed this on Thursday at the national secretariat of the party during the inauguration of the committee.

He said while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sent the Certified True Copy of 173, 181 membership register to the party, a revalidation done by the party brought the figure down to 171, 922.
Argungu noted that the delegates are members of the APC drawn from the 203 wards in the 18 local governments of the state and duly certified to take part in this Saturday’s  primary election.
Inaugurating the committee, the embattled National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, said after the completion of its work, the appeal committee has a duty to listen to complaints and attend to them.
He noted: “If there is any disagreement, then the appeal committee will listen and that is part of internal democracy which we have to abide by as provided by our constitution.

“Members of this committee have been selected based on their experiences and integrity. The primary election committee is chaired by no other person by our new governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo,” he stated.
Ganduje, who noted that controversies were an integral part of democracy, urged the primary election committee to be focused and highly organised in discharging its mandate.
Responding, Ododo, who was represented by his deputy, Joel Salihu, expressed his commitment to the task ahead.
He said, “If there is any job not to be done, it must not be the one sent by Mr President and the National Chairman of the party and the party itself. Any work I am sent to do, must be done.

“I have accepted to collaborate with all the committee members to produce the best candidate for Ondo gubernatorial election and in so doing, I will abide by the principle, doctrine and constitution of our great party.”
Meanwhile, a group of protesters under the umbrella of APC Youth Solidarity Network (APCYSN) stormed the National Secretariat of APV to caution the party against the legal implication of  Ganduje conducting the forthcoming Ondo State governorship primary election.
The group in a petition jointly signed  by the Convener,  Danesi Momoh and and Co-Conveners,  Abdulkadir Shuaibu and Adeyeye Olugbenga, respectively insisted that Ganduje lacked locus standi to conduct the primary as that can spell doom for the party in the long run.

Arodiogbu Urges Ganduje to Reject Ondo Primary Election  List

The APC National Vice Chairman in the South East Zone, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, has faulted the 90 man-list for the Ondo primary election of the party.
Arodiogbu called on Ganduje to reject the list.
According to a press release from his media office,  Arodiogbu said he did not have any input, nor was there any from majority of members of the 25-man National Working Committee of which he is a member.
“We are calling on the National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulahi Ganduje, and the National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu to repudiate the list and seek the input of all members  of the NWC members as the constitution of the party dictates.

“This is pertinent to avoid the drama that played out in the Edo primaries, where the NWC inaugurated a committee and a parallel committee was formed and inaugurated by aides of some members of the NWC.
“Since the constitution of the membership of such a committee is a national affair then members of the NWC ought to have made their own input to give the list some semblance of collective leadership and not the restriction to only  two offices.
“This naturally may affect the performance of the committee in such a keenly contested primary election. The non involvement of a majority of NWC members could be wrongly interpreted as a ploy to foist an unpopular  candidate on the party members in Ondo,” Arodiogbu said.

APC Group Wants National Chairmanship Position Returned to North Central

The North Central APC Forum has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider the return of the position of the National Chairman of the party to its zone.
Chairman of the forum, Alhaji  Sale Zazzaga, made the appeal while addressing journalists in Abuja. His call was not unconnected with the ongoing probe of Ganduje, on the charges of corruption.
The forum maintained that if Ganduje invariably lost his seat, the position should automatically revert to the North Central.

Zazzaga wondered why the former national secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was replaced by Senator Ajibola Basiru, who is from his state and the party took the position of of the national chairman, vacated by Senator Abdullahi Adamu from the North Central, to the North West, where Ganduje hails from.

He lamented that the North Central, which produced five APC governors could not be rewarded with the national chairman.