Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) National Vice Chairman (North East), Comrade Salihu Mustapha, is approaching a Federal Capital Territory High Court to strike out an order making him the Acting National Secretary of the party.
Justice S.U. Bature of the FCT High Court, Maitama had, on Thursday, issued an order to the effect that Mustapha be allowed to carry out the functions of Acting National Secretary of the party and Giadom to function in the capacity of acting National Chairman.
Mustapha immediately disclaimed the order. He said he was fully in support of the North East zonal resolution which endorsed the nomination of Arch. Waziri Bulama and forwarded his name to the National Working Committee of the party for the office of the National Secretary.
Mustapha told reporters in Abuja on Saturday that he had directed his lawyer to seek the invalidation of the suit and order making him APC Acting National Secretary.
He said: “I was part of the North East APC stakeholders that met and endorsed the nomination of Arc Bulama and cannot go to court to seek for such position again.
“We, the North East APC, believe in the competence of Arc. Bulama and have appointed him into the position, waiting for his ratification by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
“I am striking the suit entered in March out because I believe that the issue has been resolved and in the interest and peace of the party.
‘“Actually, the lawyers that got that order are my lawyers. Sometime in early March, I went to seek for order when the party was in crisis. But after that time, as a zone, we had a political solution which culminated in a zonal executive committee meeting attended by the SGF, the Senate President, the three governors from the zone, former governors, all the senators and House of Reps members from the zone.
“At that meeting we endorsed the candidature of Arch. Waziri Bulama as the National Secretary of the party, which we are to forward to the NEC for ratification.
“The decision was unanimous. That decision happened Saturday last week. We came back to Abuja and by Wednesday or Thursday, the Appeal Court confirmed the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the national chairman of our party.
“Between the time we reached that political solution endorsing Bulama and the time the court removed Oshiomhole was barely three days and my lawyers were not aware that we had already reached that decision. I also did not brief them.
“But as we speak, we are making all arrangements with my lawyers to seek the discontinuation and rescind the prayer we made in court because for me, the zonal decision supersedes any other prayers pending in court.
“We are going to vacate that order to allow Architect Bulama’s name to be sent to NEC for ratification as the national secretary of our party.”
He joined other party stakeholders to call on leaders of the party to convene a NEC meeting where all the issues challenging the unity of the party would be resolved.
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