The subterranean battle for the soul of the ANPP between Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and his Borno State counterpart Ali Sheriff intensified yesterday with the suspension by the Ume-Ezeoke faction of six officials of the rival group which is believed to be instigated by the Kano state governor. For his part, the Kano governor, who was away in Saudi Arabia, did not send a representative to the Ume-Ezeoke meeting.
Yesterday’s NEC meeting, which was called by the Ume-Ezeoke led national working committee, was also attended by Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who announced his presidential aspiration yesterday, deputy governor of Yobe State Abubakar Aliyu, Chief George Moghalu, Dr. Yusuf Musa, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Rep Mohammed Ndume and Alhaji Abdurrahman Adamu.
Speaking at the meeting, Ume-Ezeoke said, “Some people are trying to cause crisis in the party. They are being sponsored by some influential people in the party and by some politicians in other political parties. But the God of ANPP did not allow them to succeed.” He did not name the alleged sponsors of the crisis.
National secretary Saidu Kumo, proposed four motions, which he said were the outcome of the caucus and NWC meetings of the party. Based on those, the party resolved to use direct voting in electing candidates for the governorship, House of Representatives and Senate, while the indirect pattern would be adopted for the selection of its presidential candidate
Kumo announced the suspension of members of the transition committee set up by the parallel NEC for “anti party activities.” The suspended persons include Senator Mohammed Mohammed, Prince Martins Bisong, Dr. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, Hon. Kawu Sumaila, Chief Abiodun Adetunji-Oyebolu and Alhaji Farouk Yahaya.
But spokesman of the anti-Ezeoke group, Dr. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, said all the actions taken yesterday were void because the party’s leadership had been sacked.
Ajumbe told a news conference in Abuja that their purported suspension and other activities that took place yesterday were illegal and “a trick by the sacked Ezeoke led NWC to stylishly adopt what we have already worked out for the successful convention of the party. The purported four motions adopted is our arrangements and everybody knows that.”
Both Sheriff and Shekarau could not immediately be reached for comments yesterday. Sheriff’s Special Assistant on Media and Information, Alhaji Shehu Mustapha Liberty, did not answer his calls and did not reply to a text message sent to him, while spokesman for Shekarau is also away in Saudi Arabia.
The Ume-Ezeoke leadership was elected on September 2, 2006 and the faction who purportedly sacked it last week said its four-year tenure had expired.
Yesterday’s NEC meeting ratified a 20-man convention committee, retaining Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe as the chairman, but replaced Livinus Nwanbe with Chris Amah as the secretary.
Ume-Ezeoke said the TMC was set up to fill the vacuum of the NWC, whose term he said expires on Monday, and also to midwife the September 17 and 18 national convention of the party holding in Abuja.
Members of the faction who met last week had also fixed 17 and 18 September for their own national convention and said they were working in collaboration with the Governor Gaidam-led convention committee. Governor Gaidam is in Saudi Arabia for the Umrah.
In place of the Senator Mohammed-led factional transition committee, a new nine-man transition management committee headed by former Minister of State for Defence, Abdulrahman Adamu, and Rasaq Folorunsho as the secretary was set up. The members are Lawal Shettima, Dr. Dobi Ahmed, Asukewe Ikoawaji, Senator Sani Yerima, Ify Okafor, Evangelist Cassidi Agbai and Fatima Mohammed.
Members of the convention committee include Senator Kabiru Gaya, Rep. Mohammed Ndume, Ubale Kiru, Naamu Abdulkadir, Uba Hassan, Taiwo Elijah and Momoh Salihu.
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