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APC chieftain labels party congresses ‘a sham’, urges Buhari to instill internal democracy beyond 2023

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President Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to as the leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that internal democracy was allowed to be instituted in the party if it must exist beyond 2023 after he must have left.

The call was made by a chieftain of the APC in Bauchi state, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed Sheriff who opined that what transpired during the recent congresses of the party held across the country was nothing but sham.

Addressing a press conference at the NUJ Press Center on Tuesday, he said that, “a situation where because someone is close to the seat of power will come down to impose leadership on the party at the state, LGA and ward levels is not acceptable and may spell doom for the party”.

He further called on the President to assent the Electoral Act as amended by the National Assembly and forwarded to him saying that, “when operational, the Electoral Act as amended will strengthen internal democracy within the political parties.

Hassan Sheriff also wants the President to ensure that all the states implement the Executive Order 10 by granting autonomy to the Legislative and Judiciary arms of democratic government as well as the LGAs as a tier of governance.

The politician also called on INEC to serve as an unbiased umpire during the primary elections of the parties to ensure that rules and regulations of such exercise as contained in the constitution and guidelines of the political parties were followed.

He said that “On the 16th of October, 2021, it will be recalled that a seven-man committee led by Jibrin Sam, mandated to provide oversight for the election of APC Party Officials in Bauchi State connived with a so called party leader, who is neither a genuine Stakeholder nor an elected representative to deprive our party and stakeholders genuine representation by hoisting a Alhaji BABAYO Aliyu Misau a questionable proxy on us as a State party leader”.

According to him, “Because we believe justice is for the masses and not for a few, we headed to court as a resort of the victimized to enforce our rights to elect those who will represent us. We believe that certain political actors that have not built our great party the All Progressive Congress in Bauchi State have come to reap where they did not sow”.

Read also: Buni, Marafa trade words over APC congress in Zamfara

Hassan Sheriff added that “it is against this background that we instituted a suit seeking for the dissolution of executive members of the party in the state. Also joined in the suit included the acting national chairman of the APC, Mai Mala Buni; chairman of the Bauchi State Extended Stakeholder Committee, Adamu Adamu; member of the Extended Stakeholder Committee, Yakubu Dogara; and 39 others as defendants”.

He explained that giving an interim injunction on the matter on Thursday, last week, the presiding judge, Justice Kunaza Hamidu, ordered the members of the EXCO to stop parading themselves as APC leaders, pending the hearing and determination of the suit before the court.

He then asserted that, “These individuals who are bent on causing rift in our party do not have the interest of the State at heart nor that of loyal party members and stakeholders, not even that of the National Party and its stake in our country, their ulterior motive is to cause disunity and disaffection in our party”.

He also said that, “We should not allow this to happen, we have worked hard to be where we are and as we approached 2023, we should shun all divisiveness by people who have no stake in our party or in our well being and prosperity. Let’s come together and forge a common party in order to reclaim our endowed and beautiful state to the path of glory and sustainability”.

On state creation, he called on the 9th National Assembly to write its name in cold by approving the creation of more states across the country in order to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people.

By Yemi Kanji, Bauchi..

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