APC says suspension of North-East National Vice Chairman a nullity

The All Progressives Congress (APC) said that the purported suspension of its North-East National Vice Chairman, Mustapha Salihu, was a nullity.

Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC newly-appointed National Publicity Secretary, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

“Our attention has been drawn to the purported suspension of the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu by the North-East zonal office.

“We state categorically that the purported suspension is a nullity as the North-East zonal office does not have such powers to suspend a national officer.

“According to the party’s Constitution, such powers reside with the National Executive Committee (NEC),”he said.

Issa-Onilu added that whatever issues there might be, the party structure and Constitution had provided ample avenues for redress and dispute resolution.

He maintained that if the North-East zonal office was unable to achieve a resolution, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) could and would wade into the matter to achieve amicable settlement.

Our correspondent reports that the Secretary of the APC North-East Zone, Abubakar Ajiya, on Saturday, announced the suspension of Salihu.

Ajiya announced the suspension in a letter addressed to Salihu and entitled; `Re: Letter of Vote of No Confidence, saying that the suspension was in line with the party’s Constitution.