Nasarawa Assembly Crisis: You can’t suspend me, I remain APC member– Ex-Council Chair tells APC

By David Okpashi

AS moves are being made to resolve the leadership crisis in the Nasarawa House of Assembly, the immediate past Chairman of Karu Local Government Area of the state, Hon. Samuel Akala on Sunday boasted that he remained a bonafide members of the All Progressive Congress APC at all levels of the party in the state.

Hon. Akala said while reacting to his purported suspension from the party by the ward chairman of the party said his party the APC lack the constitutional right to suspend him without due process.

This is coming on the heels of the suspension of the former Chairman of Karu LGC on allegations bordering on anti-party activities, disloyalty to the governor and the party leadership in Nasarawa

It would be recalled that the APC at the Panda/Kare Electoral ward of Karu LGA had on Saturday 7th July issued the former LG Chairman a suspension on issues bordering on anti-party activities, display of disloyalty to the governor of the state, Abdullahi Sule and the leadership of the party in Nasarawa state.

“I was greeted with the news of my suspension from my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Panda/Kare Electoral Ward, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on the 7th July, 2023, on issues bothering on anti-party activities, disloyalty to His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi A. Sule and the leadership of the party in the State, a suspension that is totally strange to me and every sane mind.

“The suspension does not meet the minimum requirements for suspending erring members of the party, as clearly stipulated by the APC’s constitution and our extant laws which gives room for fair hearing,” Akala declared

“While I was hoping on getting commendations from the leadership of the party in the State, Local Government and Ward Executives for my successful outing in delivering the APC and its candidates in my polling unit in the last General Elections, a daring electoral success which even the state APC Chairman and some self acclaimed Stakeholders of the party in the area can not boast of given a full glare of working for the opposition SDP and its candidates which led to the defeat of the APC candidates, my reward is suspension?”

According to Akala in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to Journalists in the state accused the state party Chairman, John Mamman, Karu Council Chair and a host of others of full glare acti party punishable by the party’s constitution, challenge all to present their polling units results of the last General Elections and let us see who is a clear anti-party involvement”

“I am also aware that the new mandate assigned to Karu LG Chairman and the APC in the Local Government, is to ensure that I’m suspended and intimidated not to speak the truth. That’s why the Council Chairman has since abandoned the job of rescuing his failed Government to mobilizing and spending millions of Government resources to ensure that Akala is suspended from the Party. This is a lost battle and waste of public resources, as the Council Chairman has no capacity to carry out such heinous task. “Na Riga Su Cewa Allah “.

“On my purported suspension, I have since drafted my team of lawyers to institute a legal action as regards the suspension. However, I wish to state that this suspension can be likened to the case of giving a dog a bad name just to hang it. They want me to pay for the sins they committed in the last General Elections” Akala insisted.

According to the former Aide to governor Sule, “there is no where in this part of the country where I, Akala was seen engaged in any anti-party activities, name calling of the Governor or acted in a manner that depicts disloyalty to my Party. The desperation and inordinate ambition of some individuals in the state is gradually institutionalizing Illegality and abuse of office.

” Very unlike the requirements of our party constitution, I was never invited by the Ward Executives of the party or any known committee constituted by the party to defend any allegation of disloyalty and anti-party leveled against me. Moreso, no evidence of my disloyalty and anti-party activities was tendered anywhere before any party member or any committee for investigation. A committee was simply constituted with the mandate to indict me of anti-party and disloyalty, and a written script for my suspension was drafted and transmitted to my ward Party Chairman for his endorsement which he acted blindly”, Akala alleges.

“This is simply an extension of illegality driven by the Party in the Leadership crisis rocking the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, so I’m not surprised. My opinion and position on some issues bothering on Democracy, Governance and Rule of Law in the State most recently, are entirely my personal position and opinions, as it satisfies my God’s given conscience and meets normal societal standards”.

“In a society governed by laws, I am not duty bound to abide and go with some decisions of the party or government even if it goes contrary to what the law stipulates. Moreso, being a member of APC does not in anyway take away my fundamental rights to speak on matters of Governance and justice in the state, even when the Party has fully taken a wrong decision and direction.

Let me categorically state that, the APC as a political party does not belong to any individual, no matter how highly placed. It is not a creation of any individual or family, our party is a national party by Nigerians and for Nigerians. Therefore, I remain a bona-fide member of the APC and my suspension remains null and void” he stated

” I call on the general public to disregard in its entirety the news of my suspension from the All Progressives Congress, as it remains a news and an extension of the illegality already carried out in the State Assembly Leadership crisis. The public should be assured that, I’ll continue to speak truth to power, as no amount of blackmail, intimidation and witch-hunt will deter me”, the former Chairman boasted..