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Tag: National Secretariat

  • APC reacts to stolen $50,000 at its national secretariat

    APC reacts to stolen $50,000 at its national secretariat

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the reported lost Dollars at its national secretariat on Wednesday in Abuja, does not belong to it as being speculated.

    Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said this in a statement on Thursday, adding that the report was false and grossly misleading and should be disregarded by all.

    “Our attention has been drawn to reports in sections of the media regarding lost U.S. Dollars at the APC national secretariat.

    “On Wednesday, April 27, the sum of 50,000 dollars was reportedly lost by an individual around the entrance gate of the party’s national secretariat.

    “To be clear, the lost money does not belong to the party,” he said.

    He added that the loss was not connected with proceeds of sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to aspirants vying for it’s tickets for the 2023 general elections.

    Morka said the development was also not connected with relocation of the venue for the collection of the forms from the party’s secretariat to the International Conference Centre (ICC), as erroneously reported in a section of the media.

    He explained that the party’s decision to relocate the venue for collection of the forms to the ICC was to ease heavy human and vehicular traffic around the secretariat.

    This, he said, was especially as teeming aspirants and their supporters had continued to throng the party’s national secretariat to collect forms.

    Morka further explained that as widely advertised and reported in major news outlets, all purchase of forms were payable to designated bank accounts of the party.

    The APC scribe added that the fee for the said forms was set and denominated in Naira, not in U.S. dollars.

    “We urge our party members and the general public to disregard any reports or suggestion to the contrary as false and grossly misleading,” Morka said.

  • APC insists ‘no cause for alarm’ as police take over national secretariat for second time in three months

    APC insists ‘no cause for alarm’ as police take over national secretariat for second time in three months

    The national secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja was on Wednesday taken over by heavily armed operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.

    This incident, TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered is happening for the second time in a space of three months.

    While the party swiftly denied any form of brewing crisis, however, TNG recalled that a party chieftain from Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa had earlier called for the sack of Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee of the party on the ground that it has outlived its usefulness.

    Secretary of the party’s Caretaker/Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, told journalists that the presence of the security agents was a mere proactive formality to avoid any chance occurrence, as it was nothing unusual.

    On August 9, 2021, police had been deployed to the party secretariat on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling on the Ondo State governorship election, when the 4:3 split judgment, though affirmed Rotimi Akeredolu as governor, raised concerns about the competence of Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, to lead the party.

    Prior to that, the secretariat had last seen the deployment of policemen last year after a court order suspended the former national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in March, barring him from assessing the office.

    But Akpanudoedehe said the police were acting on security reports made available to them. “Nothing is happening. They have been there several times whenever we need to safeguard the secretariat. You are not in a position to read security reports, so you cannot ask me. If something happens now, they will say what were they doing?

    “Also, we have a duty to protect the people who work here, we read security reports and I’m sure you are fully aware we have every security agency in our secretariat. There is no cause for alarm.”

    On the war of words between the Governor Buni-led leadership and a chieftain of the party in Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa, over the conduct of last weekend’s ward congress in the Northwest state, which the latter dismissed as a charade, the APC national secretariat said the party would not join Marafa in what he called personal trade of words.

    He said: “We are not abusive to any member of our party, we are too mature to go into a personal response. Our interest is in the general public and then the party. We are not going to go back and forth with anybody. Any information that is given out, we are duty-bound to respond by stating the fact as it is. Nobody can drag me or the party to the gutter, we are an institution.”

  • PDP workers demand re-opening of national secretariat

    The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Staff Welfare Forum has demanded the `immediate and unconditional re-opening’ of the party’s National Secretariat by the Police.

    The employees made the demand on Tuesday in Abuja during a peaceful protest in front of the national secretariat.

    The Secretary of the Forum, Dan Ochubaiye, said the appeal became necessary in order to enable the party discharge its responsibilities.

    “It may be recalled that no court in the country gave the order for the lock-down of the PDP National Secretariat by the Nigerian Police Force.

    “We, therefore, demand the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Secretariat to allow the staffers to enter their offices for routine party activities.

    “It is only fair and just for the staffers to be allowed into their legitimate offices while the Police are duty-bound to provide adequate security for them as provided in the Nigerian constitution.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that party’s national secretariat has remained locked-up for eight months.

    The shutdown of the secretariat followed the lingering leadership crisis rocking PDP after its parallel non-elective conventions held in Port-Harcourt and Abuja in May 2016.

    Mr. Ochubaiye also expressed concern over the delay in resolving the party’s lingering leadership crisis.

    “The PDP staff welfare forum while appreciating the Judiciary again appealed to them to speedily dispense justice as concerns pending PDP cases before the court in order to save our democracy from gradually degenerating into a one party state.

    “The forum frowned at the incessant petitions by a party in the case and described it as a delay tactic to subvert justice.

    “The staff of the secretariat believe that the delay is only beneficial to the petitioner, who clearly is being sponsored by the (opposition) ruling party.

    “The staff of the PDP National Secretariat hold the Judiciary in high esteem and believe in it to remain unbiased and dispense justice that will maintain the sanctity and independence of the rule of law and the court.’’

    The employees, according to Mr. Ochubaiye, however, restate their loyalty to the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

    “We call on all the organs and stakeholders in the party to urgently support the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee in all ramifications.

    Mr. Ochubaiye, who did not disclose if PDP staffers were being owed salaries, said the situation of the employees was unfortunate after the party lost the last general elections.

    “While commending the National Caretaker Committee for its efforts so far, the staff welfare committee commiserates with the families of its members that lost their lives during this uncertain period.

    “It is the belief of staff that the demise of the staff was largely avoidable.’’

    Contributing, a senior staff of the party, Samson Imafidon, said the demand for the reopening of the secretariat was informed by the need to start work in the new year and put an end to idleness.

    “We are not people who will be comfortable at home even when you are paid salaries. We want to work.

    “We are responsible staff our duty is to work for the party. Even if we are paid the whole money we needed and then we are not working, we are not comfortable at home and this is a new year.

    “So, we felt it was unreasonable for anybody to think that we are comfortable at home and not working even when we are paid at the end of the month.

    “We want to work and that is why we are here.”