In a latest development in the raging battle for who will fly the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November gubernatorial election in Kogi state, it has been discovered that party factional chairman, Haddy Ametuo, hoodwinked the APC NWC into announcing indirect primaries as the mode agreed upon for the Kogi primary election.
Haddy Ametuo and his pay masters in Lugard House, being privy to the APC National Working Committee meeting slated for Friday, 5th July, 2019, quickly transmitted a letter to the NWC claiming that the case in court to determine the genuine party executives has been withdrawn and all executives and stakeholders have come to a reconciliation and unanimously agreed to adopt indirect primaries. Consequently, the APC NWC based their announcement on this falsehood.
The APC in Kogi is having two parallel factions with a case still pending in court with more party executives coming forth to add their weight to it. Haddy Ametuo transmitted the letter regardless of this fact in a bid to deceive the APC NWC and in furtherance of Governor Yahaya Bello’s desperate desire for a second term. An APC chieftain, Hon. Danladi Yusufu stressed:
“The National Working Committee was deceived by a letter written by Ametuo who had a foreknowledge of the NWC meeting yesterday, that the case has been withdrawn and the faction has settled and collectively adopted indirect primaries. It will be recalled that the decision was taken by the NWC of the party less than 2 hours when the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja adjourned the suit based on lingering factionalization crisis till October 2, 2019.
The NWC acted in error based on false information.” Tom Adejoh, the duly elected party Secretary; Destiny Eneojoh Aromeh, duly elected party Ex-officio member from Ibaji LGA in the 2018 Congress; Isah Abubakar, the duly elected State Organising Secretary from the 2018 party congress and Noah Aku, duly elected State Zonal Youth Leader have written a letter to the APC NWC to inform them of the pending case, their own disposition toward direct primaries and advising them to rescing their earlier announcement in favour of indirect primaries in 48 hours and exercise restraint until the court has reached a final judgement on the pending case.
“There are two factions of APC State exco in Kogi. A case is in court. To avoid a recap of the unfortunate saga in Zamfara and Rivers States which torpedoed the party to zilch, a situation where the party ended up not fielding candidates in those States happening in Kogi State, the APC National Working Committee has to reverse their decision on the adoption of indirect primaries to adopting a direct primaries since the court is yet to decide which exco is the authentic one”, Apostle Destiny Eneojo Aromeh, an Ex-officio of the party in the State opined.
In his desperation for a second term after a disastrous first, Yahaya Bello induced Haddy Ametuo and other party elements with illicit funds to put together a bogus and shallow reconciliation, a sham that left out other duly elected party executives who are ill-disposed to indirect primaries. It is looking like Zamfara and Rivers state all over again where APC lost out due to internal fractures. Governor Yahaya Bello’s desperation could possibly leave APC empty handed after the November gubernatorial election. By and large, factional party Exco who are in court with governor Bello’s selected Exco and stakeholders who are contrarily-disposed towards the indirect primary mode and including other aspirants in the race have written to the National Working Committee denouncing Haddy Ametuo’s unfounded claims. They gave the party 48 hours to reverse this decision failure of which they will sue the party.
