North East stakeholders back MB Mustapha

Coalition of APC Support Groups in the North East has called on the national leadership of the All Progressive Congress APC to pick its next national secretary from Taraba state, saying the state has been grossly marginalized in the party’s National Working Committee.

Addressing a press conference in Bauchi on Thursday, Chairman of the coalition Abdulhamid Yazeed urged the North East zone of the party to forward Barr. Muhammed Bello Mustapha name’s from Taraba as the consensus candidate to fill vacancy occasioned by the emergence of Mallam Mai Mala Buni, as Yobe State governor-elect.

The group also condemned what it describe as unnecessary struggle for the position between Yobe and Borno state, saying Taraba state is the only state in the north east region that has never produced any member in the APC NWC since inception.

“We believe whatever comes to the North East zone must be shared accordingly to the six states in the region, Adamwa, Yobe and Borno have had its fair share of party appointments but Taraba has never gotten anything in APC leadership, look at the support they gave President Buhari at the poll, despite been a PDP state, President Buhari got 45 percents of the votes, its only proper we reward them in the party.”

Also speaking at the meeting , secretary of the group Adams Faruk said the APC in Taraba State has brought forward a credible and capable candidate for the office of the National Secretary in person of M.B Mustapha, we want all stakeholders in the North East APC to support Taraba state and its candidate in spirit of fairness and equality.

He said Mustapha had previously contested for the same position of National Secretary during the 2018 National Convention of the party, “ he was the last among the contestant to stepped down for Mala Buni to emerge unopposed, the incumbent national publicity secretary, Lanre Isa-Onilu replaced Bolaji Abdullahi who defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he was the last person to withdraw at the convention in 2018, so it just fair and just to concede the vacant position to him.”