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The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) deepened on Saturday as another acting national organising secretary surfaced at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.
Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, the deputy national organising secretary of the party told newsmen that he has assumed the office of acting national organising secretary based on a Court judgement which nullified the election of Emmanuel Ibediro at the 2018 national convention.
It would be recalled that Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a judgement he delivered in September 2018, had declared the process that produced Emma Ibediro as null and void.
The party’s former national organising secretary, Osita Izunaso, had filed the suit against the Independent Natiinal Electoral Commission(INEC), APC and Emmanuel Ibediro as first, second and third defendants, respectively.
Izunaso, had since defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA).
Ibrahim said the 2018 judgement is still subsisting, adding that the judgement has elevated him to the office of acting national organising secretary. He noted that the pronouncement of Justice Dimgba was never challenged at the appellate court.
He said: “I was duly elected as the Deputy National Organising Secretary at the convention. If you recall very well the genesis of the crisis that rocked particularly the election of the National Organising Secretary. Mr. Emmanuel Ibediro no doubt contested the election of the National Organising Secretary.
“By virtue of respect to constituted authorities and rule of law, the Federal High Court under Justice Dimgba annulled the election of the National Organising Secretary. It was a clear judgement and can’t be appealed.
“So by the virtue of judgement passed on the 14th of September, 2018, there is judgement nullifying all that happened till fresh elections are held.
“Erroneously or autocratically, the then Chairman of the party held to Emmanuel Ibediro. The party should be rebranded. The rule of law must take place.”
However, a party source revealed that the anti-Oshiomhole forces led by the national vice-chairman North East, Salihu Mustapha, instigated Ibrahim to challenge Ibediro’s continued stay in office as the later has been marked as an Oshiomhole loyalist.
Reacting, Ibediro dismissed the deputy national secretary’s claim to his position, describing Ibrahim as a mere impostor.
He said:” The man is a rabble-rouser. He took me to court in Abuja recently and the court threw away his case, telling him that it has no locus. He is not a party in the main suit and in the appeal and that he did not even contest the position. The court threw away his case two weeks ago. The man is just a rabble-rouser. And he forgot that the case is still at the appeal.“