Minna
The Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state, Engineer Mohammed Jibril Imam has assured that he would do his best possible in upholding constitutional provisions of the party in handling all party affairs in the state.
Engineer Mohammed made the declaration while briefing journalists on the crisis bedeviling the party in the state, just as he also expressed preparedness to follow party constitution in disciplining those who accused him of embezzlement of party funds.
Duaglobalnews reports that the party chairman’s declaration is coming on the heels of allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against him by some members led by the state Financial Secretary, Mohammed Idris.
The financial secretary had earlier petitioned Commissioner of Police in the state about the activities of Mohammed in the party and demanded that the chairman be investigated.
Idris said some party members accused the party chairman of being so secretive about party finances instead of transparently giving account of party finances regularly, in the spirit of accountability as he had earlier promised.
But the chairman told journalists and other party members at the state party secretariat, along Zarumai area, Minna yesterday that his accusers only made efforts at destroying his name, adding that there was nothing as money belonging to the APC in his possession.
Mohammed said that the APC in the state did not have such amount in its account that would warrant anyone to raise the alarm of financial impropriety or even petitioning the commissioner of police, calling for his probe.
The chairman, who also insisted that he would follow party constitution in disciplining his accusers to serve as deterrent, recalled how the allegation of funds embezzlement traumatized him and his immediate family members, insisting that he had no case to answer.
He said his accusers were made of those who rarely pay dues needed for the running of the party affairs.
“They accuse me of embezzlement of funds but we don’t have bulk except from membership dues and all these people calling for probe rarely pay their dues.
“There is no missing money in Niger state APC. The Banks have their rules that stipulate who and who are signatories that receive alerts, is it my making that the Financial Secretary doesn’t receive alerts?, he said.
While appealing to party faithful to remain calm, assuring them that the seeming lingering issues bedeviling the party would soon be over.
He added that efforts were on to reconcile aggrieved members and as well put the party on proper standing, ahead of 2023 and other elections.
Meanwhile, Niger PDP, the main opposition party,has announced zoning of of all it’s elective positions ahead of the 2023 governorship election.
Addressing journalists at the state party secretariat along eastern bypass, Niger state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Alhaji Garba Umaru said the Governorship slot would now move from Niger-North senatorial district (zone C) to Niger-South (zone A).
Our correspondent gathered that the implication of the new turn of event in the party is that, the governorship candidate of the party in the 2015 and 2019 governorship race in the state, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko who is from Magama Local government, Niger north senatorial zone which by the may be ruled out of the governorship contest in 2023.
The State Caretaker Committee chairman also explained that the deputy governorship candidate of the party for the 2023 election would be picked from the Niger East senatorial zone while the state chairmanship of the party is retained in the Niger east senatorial zone.
Already two people, including the immediate past state chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Tanko Beji and a chieftain of the party, Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed have signaled their intention to contest for the state chairmanship slot.
“Under the party’s zoning arrangement in the state,the governorship position goes to Zone A and the Deputy governorship position goes to Zone B, whereas the party chairmanship position remains in Zone B for the next four years after which it moves to Zone C”.
The Caretaker Committee chairman, however, assured that, “This is to be strictly adhered to in the conduct of the committees’ activities toward the party’s next congress and election of the Executive officers in the state.”
Umar further explained that no date had been fixed for the state Congress of the party, an exercise he said would be conducted by officials from the National Workingorking Committee(NWC) of the party at a time to be announced by the national secretariat.
According to the chairman, all the officials of the party at Ward and local government level have all been returned on unopposed, announced dissolution of all the standing committees and electoral committees put in place by former state party executive.
Umar, however, said the dissolution of the electoral committee set up by the Tanko Beji led executive of the party was because it was not established in compliance with the rules governing such exercise.
“All the standing committee put in place by the immediate past executive stands dissolved.
The dissolution is not intended to witch-hunt anyone but to give the new chairman a clean slate to start on, again most of the committees have completed their assignments”.
While assuring that he would give the party purposeful leadership better that what he inherited, Umar promised that all affairs of the party under his watch would be transparent, just, free and fair in the conduct of all its activities.
He,therefore, urged members of the party to remain “steadfastly committed to the PDP and continue to mobilize new members ahead of the forthcoming state, national and local government elections.”
