Court decides ALGON’s authentic Nat’l Chairman, April 30

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, will on April 30, decide the case seeking a declaration that Akolade David Alabi is not qualified to be national chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON). Petitioners in the suit are the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Honorable Abubakar Abdullahi and Honorable Shaban Oyinoyi Shuabu. Specifically, they maintained that Alabi, who was chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area in Lagos State at the time, cannot be president of the association as Bariga is not among the country’s 774 Local Government Areas. The Federal Ministry of Finance, Accountant General of the Federation and Governor of Central Bank(first to third respondent), the Attorney-General of the Federation, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Inspector General of Police, State Security Services(SSS) and Honorable Alabi Akolade David( fourth to eight respondents) are the Respondents. In their originating summons filed by Barrister Bartholomew Opara, they maintained that Alabi is not eligible to be ALGON chairman as he was not a local government chairman as contemplated by the 1999 Constitution, the Constitution of ALGON and a Supreme Court decision which had touched on the disput. He argued that Alabi had been removed by ALGON’s National Executive Council in 2019 but he keeps parading himself as chairman. Therefore, he prayed urged the court to affirm the removal of Alabi by NEC and perpetually restrain him from further parading as such. Responding, Counsel to Alabi, Wahab Shittu, in a counter affidavit and preliminary objection, urged the court to decline jurisdiction on the matter. At the resumed hearing on Friday, Okpara, adopted his originating summons and response to the eight defendant’s counter affidavit, asking the court to grant his prayers in the interest of justice. But Shittu told the court to strike out the case and dismiss the entire suit for lack of jurisdiction and for being incompetent. He added that the entire case rests on the constitution of ALGON and the only person that can be sued is the national president but the person sued is the national chairman. The court did not attend to the party seeking to be joined because of the issue of jurisdiction raised by Shittu. Part of his reliefs sought read,” “A Declaration that all the findings and resolutions of the 1st Claimant’s General Assembly convened on 30th May 2020 remain extant and binding on all and sundry; particularly, the resolution affirming its National Executive Council’s decision which removed the 8th Defendant as 1st Claimants National Chairman on 6th September 20I9; and the inauguration of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) mandated to set up an electoral committee for the conduct of a substantive Chairmanship election for the 1st Claimant. “An Order annulling or setting aside the purported General Assembly convened at the 8th Defendant’s instance on 24th March 2021, including all the activities carried out on the said date, to wit: purported resolutions arrived at, amendment of the ALGON Constitution, election /appointment of the 6th & 8th Defendants, alongside their cronies, to different offices. “An Order for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Defendants to forthwith recognise, deal and or relate with the National Chairman of the 1st Claimant, and other persons, who emerged from the election conducted by the electoral committee set up by the Interim Management Committee (IMC) as occasioned by the resolution of the general assembly convened on May 30, 2020.” After listening to their argument, the case was adjourned to April 30th for judgement.

APC NEC elects Ganduje National Chairman, Basiru as Secretary

In a significant development for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) convened on Thursday to elect key officials. The former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, emerged as the newly elected National Chairman, while Ajibola Basiru, the former Senate spokesman from Osun State, secured the position of National Secretary. The 12th NEC meeting of the APC took place at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, where party leaders and delegates gathered to witness the election. After his victory, Ganduje expressed gratitude to the President and assured the party that internal democracy would be upheld during his tenure. Ganduje further committed to establishing a scientific register of party members, prioritizing election management, and effectively resolving conflicts within the party. He emphasized providing a level playing field for all members during party primaries to strengthen the party’s democratic principles. Prominent figures such as President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and party chieftains in the National Assembly were in attendance at the NEC meeting. During the meeting, President Buhari emphasized the party’s responsibility to fulfill the promises of good governance made to the Nigerian people following successful electoral victories. He praised the 2023 elections as the best in Nigeria’s history. Notably, former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were absent from the NEC meeting, while the first National Chairman of the party, Bisi Akande, was present. This NEC meeting followed a previous session of the APC national caucus, indicating the party’s commitment to addressing critical matters within its ranks. Earlier in mid-July, two members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator Iyiola Omisore, resigned from their positions as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively. The election of Ganduje and Basiru marks a new chapter in the APC’s leadership, as they take on the task of steering the party towards success in the upcoming governorship elections.

APC Crisis: Senator Adamu addresses ‘controversial resignation’

Senator Abdullahi Adamu has finally spoken out following reports of his alleged resignation as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Speculations of an opposition group forming against Senator Adamu and the National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, have been circulating ahead of this week’s National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings of the APC. According to party insiders, there is a list of alleged wrongdoings by Adamu against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, which dates back to last year before Tinubu declared his interest in running for the presidency. “Consequently, there are some forces within the party who are likely to meet with Adamu on Sunday night or early Monday to pressure him into resigning rather than been shown the exit door” said a party official privy to the internal workings of the party. He said the NEC meeting slated for Tuesday is likely to approve a timetable for a midterm elective convention to fill party vacancies. “As you know, many of the new state governors have not made all their appointments. Even at that, some party officials have been appointed into government. “At the national level, it is very likely that some national officers or members of the National Working Committee NWC would be appointed into government. Once that is done, there will be vacancies which would be filled through the convention. The convention could also provide a window to get Adamu out”, said the party source. As a result, certain forces within the party plan to meet with Adamu to pressure him into resigning rather than facing expulsion. The upcoming NEC meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, is expected to establish a timetable for a midterm elective convention to fill party vacancies. Many newly appointed state governors have yet to finalize their appointments, and some party officials have already been appointed to government positions. Consequently, vacancies will arise at the national level, possibly leading to the appointment of some national officers or members of the National Working Committee (NWC) into government. This situation may provide an opportunity to remove Adamu from his position through the convention. Senator Omisore is also at risk of being sidelined as some dissatisfied NWC members accuse him of single-handedly running the party alongside Adamu. The party plans to exploit the controversial audit report as part of its case against Adamu. According to the party’s constitution, only the NEC can appoint an external auditor to review the party’s accounts. However, Adamu, after being pressured to present financial accounts, engaged his own auditor, bypassing the NEC. He subsequently presented the auditors’ report to the NWC for approval, which goes against the established procedures. There were rumors on Sunday night suggesting that Adamu had already resigned, albeit informally, even before the anticipated meeting. While Adamu did not respond to messages seeking confirmation, the party spokesperson, Felix Morka, remained silent on the matter. A member of the NWC stated that they, like other party members, were taken aback by the news of Adamu’s resignation and cannot provide comments without concrete knowledge of the situation. The NWC is expected to convene on Monday before the Caucus meeting on Tuesday and the NEC meeting on Wednesday. However, Adamu has not disclosed any information about his resignation to the NWC as of now. Top of Form