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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended 11 persons loyal to Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, for taking the party to court.
The suspended party members had approached a high court in Kwara State, to remove Abdullahi Samari Abubakar as chairman of the APC caretaker committee in the state, owing to the rift between the governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, the and the minister.
In June 2020, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party dissolved the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adams Oshiomhole and directed members not to institute any suit against the party.
In a letter addressed to Abubakar, Secretary of the APC National Caretaker Committee, John Akpanudoedehe, said the suspension bars the affected persons from the APC’s membership revalidation exercise.
“The Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee considered the decision of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee dated 5 February 2021 on the resolution of the Kwara State Disciplinary Committee to suspend erring members who Instituted SUIT NO: CV/241/2021 BETWEEN JOSEPH TSADO AND 10 ORS VS ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS & 2 ORS against the party.
“After due consideration of the decision, the members of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee found the decision meritorious on the grounds that the members who instituted the above mentioned suit against the Party had flouted the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of 25th June 2020, wherein the NEC resolved that no member of the party should institute any action in court and to withdraw all pending cases in Court in order to explore the internal conflict resolution mechanisms of the party.
“Consequently, the Caretaker/Extraordinary. National Convention Planning Committee ratifies the decision of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee and upholds suspension of the following Party members:
“TAKE NOTICE; that this suspension constitutes a bar on the above-named persons from participating in the on-going registration and revalidation of membership exercise,”Akpanudoedehe wrote in the letter.
The party’s decision is sequel to a letter by the Kwara APC chairman notifying the national leadership of the state chapter’s disciplinary action against the 11 members.
The suspended members are Joseph Tsado; Bamidele Ogunbayo; Issa Fulani; Imam Abdulkadir; Morufu Olaniyi Yusuf; Saludeen Lukman; Kerebu Fatai; Bola Ajani; Nurudeen Fasasi; Salman Shehu Babatunde and Abdullateef Ahmed Kolawole.