I remain state APC boss, Bilal insists

Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared the chairman, Ibrahim Bilal, “missing”.

Bilal was last seen in Adamawa early May 2022 during the meeting of governorship aspirants at the party’s secretariat along Galadima Aminu Way.

The chairman was conspicuously absent during governorship primary election, which Sen. Aishatu Binani won.

Twenty-four aggrieved state executive members out of 36 in the state sneaked into the secretariat about 6:00a.m., yesterday, under heavy security and passed vote of no confidence in the chairman, alleging corruption and anti-party activities.

Text of the vote, which was read by the publicity secretary, Mohammed Abdullahi, reads: “Our resolve to take this line of action follows the failure of the chairman to respond to the allegations of gross misconduct against him as provided for in the constitution. We view his failure to respond to the weighty allegations as acceptance of guilt.

“As a result of this gross failure, we hereby resolve to invoked Article 21.5(vi) of the party’s constitution, which vested in us the powers to pass vote of no confidence in him this day, September 5, 2022.”

The aggrieved exco members also accused Bilal of directing members of APC in Adamawa North, his constituency, to vote for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Abdullahi Belel, against the APC candidate, Sen. Ishaku Abbo.

“The chairman finds it extremely difficult to attend national functions or any activity in which communication is done in English. Some cases in point include, his deliberate absconding from the first National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of our great party.

“He also refused to attend the gubernatorial primaries of the party in Adamawa and he did not participate in the programmes of all presidential aspirants of the party without any justification,” they added.

BUT Bilal has said that he remains the authentic chairman of the party.

“I want to thank all APC faithful in Adamawa, who have called to express their solidarity, following today’s rapacious actions of a few elements bent at plunging a virile party into crisis,” he said, adding that only the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC reserves the power, in a dispute or crisis, to remove an elected chairman of the party.

His words: “Our party guidelines are clear on this issue. While we await the dust to settle on my purported removal as chairman, I am encouraged by the outpouring of goodwill from party stakeholders, who have said these grave desecration of the rule of law will never be allowed to prevail.

“I want to reassure our party stakeholders to disregard the actions of the motley crowd of enemies within, acting the script of the opposition to plunge the party into crisis, at the verge of a crucial elections, that their actions has further reawakened the consciousness of party faithful to be vigilant.”(The Guardian: Text, excluding headline)

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