The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) says the office of the national chairman, presently occupied by Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is not vacant.
The party was reacting to posters of the immediate past Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, which have flooded parts of the federal capital city.
National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, responding to media enquiries on the posters said: “There is no vacancy in the office of the National Chairman of the party. Our National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje is our Chairman and he is operating as the chairman.
“So, there is no vacancy in that office. And yes, we have also seen some of those posters. This is democracy. People do what they want. But, make no mistake because the office of the National Chairman is properly and fully occupied.
“And we have absolute and total confidence in his leadership of the Party. Nobody is asking for that office to be declared vacant and it is not vacant. I will want to warn those who are throwing these papers around to desist from doing that.
“That is not our priority right now. We need to concentrate on the job that needs to be done to solve some of the problems that will make our country a better place for all of us.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, the APC has denounced the refusal of the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly to swear in 16 APC House Members adjudged by the Court of Appeal as the duly elected members of the Plateau State House of Assembly.
The Speaker declined to swear in the members last week after those who won the elections on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but were sacked by the Court of Appeal showed up to take their seats, while those declared winners by the appellate Court were around to take office. They won the seats as members of the APC.
The Speaker cited a court order as his reason for not allowing both groups to be sworn in.
But Morka’s statement said, “The intransigence of the Speaker and the Governor of the state in this matter is wrong, undemocratic and violently contemptuous of the authority of the Court of Appeal, the highest court for the determination of election petition matters as it concerns the House of Assembly.
“The NWC urges the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly to swear in the members without further delay in the interest of peace in the good State of Plateau.”
Morka’s statement which contained resolutions of the 141st meeting of the party’s National Working Committee held last Monday, announced the flag-off the update of members register in Niger State, to be followed by one state in each of the other geo-political zones
The party’s organ also adopted the report of the NWC’s high level Reconciliation and Intervention Delegation to the United Kingdom’s APC Diaspora Chapter.
“In particular, the NWC approved the constitution of an Interim Executive Committee of the Chapter of 24 members to be led by its Chairman, Hon. Tunde Doherty and Secretary, Hon. Joseph Adebola. The Interim Executive Committee shall have a term of three months, which term may be renewed as may be necessary”, the resolution added.