Bauchi APC crisis deepens, as ward exco suspends state chairman, Misau

… I remain APC state chairman in Bauchi, nobody can remove me without due process- Babayo Misau reacts

Bauchi State chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which is in opposition in the state, Babayo Aliyu Misau has been suspended from office for alleged anti- party activities during the March 18 governorship election.

The development is the latest in the leadership crisis that is currently rocking the ship of the party in the state in the aftermath of its defeat in the governorship and state assembly elections held last month.

Recall that the APC lost the gubernatorial election to the PDP whose candidate is the incumbent governor of Bauchi State. The APC also won 8 out of 31 State House of Assembly seats.

The suspension of the Chairman was announced on Saturday, at a press Conference held by the APC Ward Chairman of Kukadi/Gundari in Misau LGA, Ibrahim Lawan Zango.

He informed journalists that the suspension was effected by the Ward exexutives for an alleged, “involvement of Babayo Aliyu Misau, the All Progressive Congress (APC), chairman in anti – party activities.”

In another press conference held in Abuja on Saturday, one Haruna Garus Gololo, an APC chieftain from Bauchi state while throwing his weight behind the suspension of Babayo Aliyu also alleged that the party lost the governorship election in Bauchi due to anti- party activities, manipulations and rigging by members of the All Progressive Congress ( APC), entrusted with the responsibility of working for the victory of the party.

According to him, ”Apart from the state chairman, Babayo Misau, the Minister of Education Adamu Adamu, the former Governor of the state, M A Abubakar SAN, all worked against the party.”

Gololo alleged that, “the chairman was invited to a meeting at the Government House along with other APC members by the governor and they were all in attendance on how to work for the opposition”.

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He stressed that, ”We are calling for the investigation of Adamu Adamu, Nura Manusoro, former Governor MA Abubakar SAN, and the suspended state chairman, to account for the billions of Naira sent to Bauchi state for the elections, because they did not use the money for the elections.”

But in a swift reaction, Babayo Aliyu Misau dismissed the purported suspension saying that it cannot be effective because it was not done in accordance with the established procedure, guidelines and constitution of APC.

Reacting to the development vide a telephone conversation with our Correspondent on Sunday, Babayo Aliyu Misau said that, “Though they have the power to do that, the necessary procedure must be followed in order to authenticate their decision.”

According to him, “After taking such decision at the ward level, the LGA EXCO will be duly notified, all the Wards EXCO in the LGA will meet to ratify the decision after which the state EXCO will meet, concur and pass same to the National Secretariat which will then accept and announce the decision.”

Misau dismissed all the allegations levelled against him saying that,”they are all unfounded, malicious and unsubstantiated, mere allegations aimed at tarnishing my hard earned political image built from the scratch.”

According to him, “Let them bring out the evidence that I did not vote for the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, the picture they are parading in the social media is a doctored photoshop just to malign my person and give false information to the general public.”

On the issue of campaign funds, he challenged anyone who has concrete evidence that he collected any amount of money for that purpose to go public with such stressing however that he did not collect any money for campaign purposes.

Misau then concluded and declared that, “I remain the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, nobody can just wake up from sleep and say that he has suspended me, no, it is not possible, due process must be followed to do that.”

By Yemi Kanji

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