Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Yekini Nabena, has condemned the purported sack of the national secretary of the party, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, saying only National Executive Committee (NEC) can exercise such power.
Also, a group of the APC under the aegis of Progressive Youth Movement (PYM) has declared support for the national Secretary of the party Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.
A letter containing a vote of no confidence on the national secretary emerged Thursday morning revealing that full quorum of the CECPC consisting of 10 members signed a letter sacking Senator Akpanudoedehe.
But responding to the purported sack while speaking with newsmen at the APC national secretariat, Yekini Nabena said such sacking can no stand anywhere.
The APC chieftain said those who signed the said sack letter “have no power to remove the Secretary.
“What they need is two-third of NEC – NEC members and not appointed members. The governors are elected, so they are members of NEC, the President is a member of NEC. So, whatsoever Stella Okotete and co were doing amounted to nulity because they don’t have the power, they have failed to read their party constitution.”
When reminded that Chief Ken Nnamani is a former Senate President, Nabena said: “Ken Nnamani still has the PDP virus in him, that is why he jumped in back and front, that is the problem with Nnamani. And age is also catching up with him, so, I dont blame him. They promised to give him Deputy Chairman, that is why he has lost his integrity.
“Like I said the Caretaker Committee members lack the power. In short, they are seen as borrowed members of NEC in the first place, some of them, except the governors among them, are not authentic members of NEC. So, it is an exercise in futility.”
In a related development, a group of the APC under the aegis of Progressive Youth Movement (PYM) has declared support for the national Secretary of the party Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.
The group’s national coordinator Prince Mustapha Audu, said the purported sack of the Secretary is a nulity, adding that the party currently needs unity and not such crisis ahead of the national convention.
Audu called on all and sundry in the party to give governor Mai Mala Buni led CECPC support to deliver a free and fair national convention.
The group’s national coordinator Prince Mustapha Audu, said the purported sack of the Secretary is a nulity, adding that the party currently needs unity and not such crisis ahead of the national convention.
Audu called on all and sundry in the party to give governor Mai Mala Buni led CECPC support to deliver a free and fair national convention.
“We have legal way of removing any body from a committee and I think only the NEC has the authority to do that. I don’t believe a committee that was set up has the authority to sack a member of that committee that was set up by NEC, especially a member who is superior in position. I think that is absolutely impossible but we would leave that for the legal team to look into that.
“APC as a party is very important to come together as a party and allow the law. INEC has all received letters and notifications from the chairman and the Caretaker secretary, the president has also sent a letter with clear directives we should return to status quo immediately and we should stop all the internal rancour and all the internal issues.
“To be honest with you we are all politicians, we all have different interests. We need to put the interest on Nigerian people, the interest of Mr president and the interest of the APC above all our personal interests.
“We must have our convention and after the convention we can come back to being politicians but for now we must think about the APC, we must think about our the party not our personal interests.”