APDA: Why Shittu-led NWC was Sacked
Onyebuchi Ezigbo
The newly elected National Working Committee (NWC) of the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) led by Mainasara Ilo has described the sack of the immediate past leadership of the party as a done deal.
The committee said the Mallam Shittu Mohammed and all other members of the interim NWC of APDA were given letters of appointment whose terms and conditions were clearly stated that their tenure will be for only three months-March 14 to June 14, 2017.
In a statement issued yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ide Eguagbor, the party said it has become necessary to clarify issued “following series of distorted, inaccurate and totally misleading information emanating from Shittu and his group who have resorted to violent attacks on characters and blackmail of founders of the APDA in the social and core media.”
Regarding the role and position of one of the founding members, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, the spokesman said the founder of DAAR Communications Plc, had since returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that APDA now has a life of its own.
Also, while speaking in an interview with THISDAY, the party spokesman described Shittu as an opportunist who is trying to pull a fast one on the leaders of the party.
According to him, “Shittu had started to behave funny since the day we received the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) certificate, but we set up a reconciliation committee headed by a prominent member of the party, the chairman of APDA in Sokoto State. They met with Shittu and Dokpesi. Shittu came here, and everybody agreed that the misunderstanding was based on wrong perception, and the meeting was fixed for the secretariat.
“We went to the secretariat and inaugurated the media committee at which Shittu brought the certificate he got from INEC and handed over to Dokpesi which I have the picture. He handed over the certificate he received as a way of showing that we have reconciled. A few days later, we learnt that it wasn’t the real certificate.”
Meanwhile, the other faction of the party led by its interim National Chairman Alhaji Shittu Mohammed, met and resolved to set up a disciplinary committee to try members found to have violated the constitution of the party for holding an unauthorised meetings and other anti-party activities including Dokpesi, Dan Nwanyanwu and Mainasara Ilo.
In a communique after its NEC meeting, the faction said the trio is to be given an opportunity to state their case within 48hours and make themselves available to the disciplinary committee to be headed by Mohammed Sani Takori, former Attorney General of Zamfara State and former member House of Representatives.