By Ezeocha Nzeh
The APC crisis took another dimension at the weekend, when the party’s Deputy national Organizing Secretary, Mohammed Sani, suddenly declared himself as the party’s Acting National Organizing Secretary
Sani, who addressed the media at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, claimed that he assumed office as the Acting National Organizing Secretary following an Abuja Court ruling in September 2018, that sacked the party’s National Organizing Secretary, Emma Ibediro after the APC National Convention
“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 Nnamdi Dimgba annulled the election of the National Organising Secretary. It was a clear judgement and can’t be appealed. So by the virtue of that judgement passed on the 14th of September, 2018, there is a judgement nullifying all that happened till fresh elections are held.
“Erronously or autocratically, the then Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, held to Emmanuel Ibediro. The party should be rebranded. The rule of law must take place.” Sani stated
But without wasting time, the National Organising Secretary (NOS), Ibediro, advised those seeking to undermine his office under the cover of the raging leadership crisis rocking the party to face other meaningful endeavours.
But speaking when some journalists sought his reaction to the development on Saturday in Abuja, Ibediro, who noted that he does not want to be drawn into the leadership battle in the party, described the Kaduna -born politician as a “meddlesome interloper, whose vaunting ambition has blinded him to wallow in ignorance.”
Ibediro noted that Mohammed Sani, his deputy, has not only joied forces with those he said are hell-bent on destroying the APC, but is trying to cash in on the crisis to raise his political profile, vowing that the goal is unattainable.
“My attention has been drawn to a statement by Mohammed Sani Ibrahim, my deputy, to the effect that he’s now the Acting National Organizing Secretary. I want to tell you that there’s no love lost between us. For all I know, he is also trying to cash in on the crisis within the party when it is not necessary. For me, I can only describe him as a meddlesome interloper which is not new to me.”
The Imo born politician, who traced Mohammed’s ambition to take over his position to a judgement of the Federal High Court in favour of Senator Osita Izunaso, a former chieftain of the party who vied for the same position with him before leaving the party to join APGA in 2019.
While noting that the matter is still pending in the Court of Appeal and hence subjudice, he disclosed that Mohammed has approached the court over the issue and lost, declaring that his ambitious deputy cannot benefit from the case since he is not a party in the suit, besides the fact that position of National Organizing Secretary is zoned to South East.
“When that judgement was given at a time he came to the office and declared that he wants to take over. And he was rightly advised by the Legal Adviser that this order is on appeal and that he cannot take over. After about a year he went to court at the federal high court, Abuja and filed a case, in 2019 and we met him in court.
He emphasized that even with the exit of Izunaso from APC, the South-East caucus of the party and NEC of the zone have renewed their endorsement of his position as NOS, not minding what will be the outcome of Appeal.
