The circumstances surrounding the failure of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to receive former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff on Thursday has taken another turn as the Borno state chapter of the party has rejected Sheriff, stating that the planned defection rumour was merely to create confusion in the state ahead of the state congresses.
The State Chairman of the APC, Ali Dolori made this known on Thursday in a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja. He was reacting to the statement earlier issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stating that those intending to join or rejoin the party should do so at their various wards.
Dolori statement read in part
“I want to assure you that the news remains a rumour, because somebody is only trying to fly a kite that is capable of causing confusion during the state congress.
“We are aware of the well articulated plan and we are ready to defend any attempt towards destroying our party at the ward level and in any state — not just Borno.
“We shall conduct our congresses peacefully without any rancour and I assure you that nobody can create any faction for our party in Borno during the Congress expected to hold in less than two weeks.
Article 9 .1 of the party’s 2014 amended Constitution was specific that application for membership shall be made to and cleared by the party ’s ward executives in the Local Government Area where the person was born, resides, works or originates.
“Online registration shall also be acceptable, provided that it was cleared by the party ’s National Working Committee. Where an application is refused, the applicant may, as of right, appeal to the Local Government Area Executive Committee of the party or to the National Secretary or National Chairman in case of online registration.”
“I, therefore, don’t see how the party’s national chairman can receive any person into the party, when the constitution is clear about the process in that regard,” he added.
