A new twist has emerged in the unfolding war of words over the suspension of Muiz Banire,SAN, the national legal adviser of APC by the Mushin Local Government chapter of the party in Lagos State.
A statement by the national secretariat of APC through its spokesman,Bolaji Abdullahi, debunking the purported suspension backfired as the Lagos State chapter of the party said the national working committee cannot annul the suspension. Lagos APC made its position known through its spokesman,Joe Igbokwe.
But Igbokwe’s statement which also contained some salvos aimed at Abdullahi, the national publicity secretary of the party is at the centre of the latest twist in the tale.
Reacting to Igbokwe’s diatribe against Abdullahi, the spokesman of APC in the FCT Adaji Usman asked the Lagos State APC spokesman to withdraw his statement or face disciplinary action.Even more, Usman said Igbokwe must stop his penchant to attack national leaders.
“Igbokwe’s penchant for insulting party leaders must stop. Our job as spokespersons for the state chapters of our great Party requires temperance, moderation and decorous use of language. Qualities that Igbokwe obviously lack,” Usman said.
The FCT chapter spokesman’s statement titled: “Igbokwe should retract his statement or APC should sanction him” reads thus in full:
“I have been alerted to a statement by Mr Joe Igbokwe, the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in which he made several false claims about national officers of our Party.
“In the statement, which is in response to the release by the National Working Committee of the APC annulling the purported expulsion of Muiz Banire, the Party’s Legal Adviser, Igbokwe alleged that Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, our National Publicity Secretary, was not validly elected and so could not speak for the Party.
“This allegation by Igbokwe is absurd and without basis, as Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi was validly elected in line with provisions of our Party’s constitution on filling vacancies in the NWC.
“As the spokesperson of the APC in the FCT, which is in the North-Central zone, I participated fully in the North-Central Convention through which Mallam Abdullahi was elected as the substantive National Publicity Secretary of the APC.
“The election had delegates and key stakeholders from the zone, including four state governors, and was supervised by relevant bodies saddled with such responsibilities, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Mr Igbokwe has definitely stepped out of his bounds by issuing such a reckless statement attacking a highly-placed and reputable national officer of our party. He should retract this obnoxious statement or face disciplinary actions from the Party.
“It is surprising that Igbokwe who attended a workshop in Abuja organized by Mallam Abdullahi in his capacity as the National Publicity Secretary will turn around to cast aspersion on Abdullahi. If he had doubts about Abdullahi’s position in the Party, on what basis then did he attend the conference in Abuja?
“Even sadder is the fact that it was the same Abdullahi who stopped the moves by some state publicity secretaries to remove Igbokwe as chairman of the forum of state publicity secretaries of the APC (CAPS).
“Igbokwe’s penchant for insulting party leaders must stop. Our job as spokespersons for the state chapters of our great Party requires temperance, moderation and decorous use of language. Qualities that Igbokwe obviously lack.
