Nasarawa Assembly crisis: APC meeting: without Ogazi, members invitation to anarchy, attempts to worsen crisis in Nasarawa — Concerned stakeholders

By David Okpashi

CONCERN APC stakeholders in Nasarawa state have faulted the party’s caucus meeting held in the state without the inclusion of the Speaker Daniel Ogah Ogazi 13 members describing the move as an invitation to anarchy as well fuelling more crisis in the assembly.

The concerned stakeholders in a statement signed by Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim and made available to Journalists in Lafia, raised concerns over non inclusion of other APC members led by Speaker Daniel Ogah Ogazi if the meeting was called to resolve the crisis in the state house of assembly,

“All APC stakeholders would have been invited to the meeting if the party concerned were not not inviting anarchy or fuelling more crisis in the state house of assembly and by extension Nasarawa state “.

“We the concerned APC in view of the unwavering commitment in strengthening the core values and ideals of our great party, faulted the meeting and therefore called for all inclusive meeting to resolve the unending crisis in the state house of Assembly”, the statement added.

“While we welcome this planned Caucus Meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State in good faith, in the interest of the Progress and Unity of our party in the state, we wish to raise a matter of urgent public concern arising from the exclusion of some key members of the party from the state caucus meeting”, the statement declared.

The statement alleged that, the State Working Committee of the APC in a written invitation to the scheduled State APC Caucus Meeting, extended invitation to the Former Speaker Balarabe led minority faction to the state caucus meeting of the party and consciously excluded the Speaker Ogazi led majority faction of the Assembly and its principal officers from the caucus meeting.

“The State working committee also deliberately excluded most critical stakeholders of the party who have expressed their opinions to upholding Democracy and rule of law in the State. This undemocratic and divisive posture of the John Mamman led Executive Committee is capable of throwing not just the party into more crisis, but the entire State”.

“A party whose interference in the recently conducted inauguration and subsequent election of Leadership of the 7th Assembly that produced needless crisis in the state, should be seen mediating and working towards resolving the two warring factions of the Assembly and not showing outright disdain for a particular faction, especially now that the Assembly Speakership crisis has been subjected to litigation, due to lack of leadership by the party and awaiting determination of the court”.

“Excluding Rt. Hon. Daniel Ogah Ogazi, a two term former Deputy Majority Leader of the Assembly and the elected Speaker of the majority members of the Assembly from the State Caucus Meeting shows clearly, lack of readiness of our party to put an end to this Assembly Leadership crisis.

“As true progressives who desire oneness and unity of our party in the state, we consider this development unhealthy for the party and an aberration to the existing court order, a move capable of deepening the lingering crisis in the State Assembly over its leadership”, the statement declared.

“The least we expected from the John W. Mamma led executive of our party in the state is this present and glaring segregation and exclusion of some of the key APC members in critical party engagements and activities such as the state caucus meeting.

The concern members of the rulling All Progressive Congress APC, enjoined his Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, Executive Governor of Nasarawa State and the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to as a matter of urgency and in their wisdom, wade into this matter with a view to finding lasting solution to the Assembly leadership crisis to save the entire State from being grounded as a result of lack of leadership in the Assembly.

“The Governor at this point must resist the temptation of allowing himself to continue to be misled by the John Mamman led APC Executive Committee, who are clearly seen in broad day light hobnobbing with opposition parties, especially the SDP in the State to continue to cause more division within the ranks of our Party.

In a swift reaction in a telephone conversation, APC spokesman, Chief Douglas Otaru said the party cannot invite rebels to the party’s caucus meeting because the were no longer their members.

” We can’t invite Ogazi to the caucus meeting because we don’t recognize him and his group.

He said, the caucus meeting was a meeting of a special organ of the party where decent members are invited to take critical decisions.

Ogazi and his rebel group as they now appear are a fugitive gang that cannot be accorded such privilege to be part of a meeting of such magnitude.

Sadly, he is treasionably going about and arrogating to himself the powers of the speaker despite being in court.

“I think there is need for decorum on his part”.

“The party will invite him at the appropriate time but for now, he should allow the organs of the party to decide next line of action. Windows of repentance are still opened for him, Obedience is better than sacrifice!