Adamawa chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday sacked its chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal, over alleged acts of corruption and ineptitude
Twenty-five members of the 36-member State Executive Committee (EXCO) signed a petition alleging corrupt acts, abuse of power and lack of capacity to administer the party.
The Excos passed a vote of no confidence on Bilal, removed him and swore in his Deputy, Hon Samaila Tadawus, as the new chairman.
In its vote of no-confidence on Bilal, dated September 5, the party Excos said: “We the undersigned members of the state executive committee in Adamawa State passed a vote of no confidence on the chairman of Adamawa State chapter of APC, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal.
“Our resolve to take this line of action follows the failure of the chairman to respond to the allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him as provided for in the constitution. We view his failure to respond to the weighty allegations as acceptance of guilt.”
They recalled how they on August 26 issued a formal complaint to three executive officers of the party, including Bilal, over constitutional violations in line with the spirit of fair hearing, adding that while the other two people concerned responded, Bilal did not.
They said Bilal as well as the secretary of the party, Mr. Raymond D. Chidama and the treasurer, Alhaji Yahya Hammanjulde were given a seven-day grace to respond to the allegations, which elapsed on 1st September 2022.
“The secretary and the treasurer acknowledged receipt of our petition and promised to respond to us soon. But as at this day, the chairman of the party refused to respond to the grave allegations in order to clear his name,” the EXCO alleged, adding that Bilal had even refused to come to Yola from his Abuja.
“But while he was fiddling in Abuja, the party he is superintending in Adamawa is under serious threat of implosion as a result of unresolved complaints leading to a pent-up anger in the party.
“There are a plethora of petitions at the secretariat addressed to the chairman but he hadn’t sat down at the secretariat for a second for over two months, making the petitions to remain unaddressed. That forced some of the complainants to leave the party.
“As a result of this gross failure, we hereby resolved to invoke article 21.5 (vi) of the party’s constitution which vests us with the powers to pass a vote of no confidence on him,” the Excos stated.