A civil society organization, The Movement For The Consolidation of Democracy (MOCODE), has reacted to the press statement credited to the Chairman of APC Gwadabawa ward in Adamawa State, purportedly suspending Mr. Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), from the party at the ward level.

In a statement signed by the group’s leader, Dr Charles Edet, MOCODE frowned at the seeming penchant for unwarranted attacks on the party in Adamawa by the APC chairman in Gwadabawa ward of the state.

Describing the statement as irresponsible, MOCODE wondered how the loss of a polling unit in an election could amount to an anti-party activity on the part of the SGF.

Said Dr. Charles Edet in a statement on behalf of MOCODE: “I find the statement extremely irresponsible and myopic. While the loss of a polling unit to the opposition in any election is not something to be celebrated, the point must also be made that the SGF in his position cannot be accused of disloyalty because of such a loss by a numerative margin in his polling unit in the just concluded presidential and governorship elections.

“We are all witnesses to the fact that several political leaders, past and present, had at one point or the other lost in their polling units in very crucial elections but still went ahead to win the overall elections with their parties.

“We are not aware that such visible political personalities were accused by anyone at any point in time of party disloyalty.

“In any case, it is well known that in polling units with political heavyweights, there is always the tendency to gang up against them, even by their own party members, out of envy, in order to pull them down to ridicule them before their constituents and in the eyes of the general public.”

Accusing the Gwadabawa ward chairman of witch-hunting and acting out the script of the opposition against the person and office of the SGF, MOCODE, however, assured him and his ‘co-travellers’ that their “their plot is dead on arrival”.

“We in MOCODE align ourselves with the State Working Committee (SWC) of the APC in Adamawa State and call for heavy sanctions on those uninformed party members and their masterminds for dragging the name of the SGF and Adamawa APC in the mud,” Dr. Edet stated, adding that such sanctions would serve as a deterrent to others who might also wake up from the wrong sides of their beds and begin to make unguarded statements about Boss Mustapha, or for that matter, any other elder of the party in to the State.

“It is unfortunate that a prophet is not recognized in his home town,” Dr. Edet stressed. “We believe that if there is any person who has kept the APC intact, united and progressive, either at the ward, state or national level, it is Boss Mustapha who, as the SGF and a man of integrity, has helped to give the ruling party and government a high level of credibility.

“We are therefore using this opportunity to call on the SGF not to be distracted by the rantings of these disgruntled politicians and opponents hiding under rather insignificant electoral results to cause disharmony in the Adamawa State chapter of the ruling party.

“As democracy watchers, we are inclined to commend the SWC of APC in Adamawa State, in particular the State party Secretary, Dr. Raymond Chidama for expeditiously rallying to the defense of the SGF Boss Mustapha, by declaring the actions of those who purportedly suspended him from the APC null and void.

“The SGF is instead to be commended for his abiding faith in the people’s choice by not interfering in the political process which had the tendency to snowball into a political logjam that could engulf the state thereby adversely affecting the overall performance of the party in the elections in Adamawa State.

“More importantly, it should be noted that Boss Mustapha is now a bureaucrat ably representing not only Adamawa State but all Nigerians as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).”

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