25th September, 2021
Some stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have condemned the alteration of the list of party officials.
The condemnation was a fallout from the recently conducted ward congress of the party, particularly in Bwari Area Council.
Ibrahim Abubakar, speaking for the stakeholders, alleged that after the successful ward congress on Aug. 14, the final list was altered and replaced with names of individuals who were not part of the exercise.
He sited Usuma and Kubwa wards, where the lists were altered and several names replaced.
He added that such a fraudulent act of alteration contravened the party’s constitution and posed a threat to the unity of the ruling party ahead of the 2023 polls.
He urged the FCT chairman of the party to take urgent steps to address the anomaly.
“The ward congress here was monitored by officials of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and security personnel, and the results were known to all.
“It is sad that a final list of excluding names of successful executive members and replaced with some strange names can be circulated as the final list.
“Article 21 of our party constitution states that offenders in cases of alteration of lists, falsification of results or tampering with internal democracy shall be liable to prosecution and expulsion from the party.
“Something similar played out in 2018 as we prepared for the 2019 elections, and it affected our performance in that election here in the FCT. We should not allow history to repeat itself,’’ he said.
He called on party members in the affected wards to remain loyal to the party while efforts were made to resolve the issue.
Efforts to get the reaction of the State Chairman of the party in the FCT, Alh. Abdulmalik Usman, were not successful as repeated calls to his mobile phone were not answered.
The chairman also did not reply to a text message asking for his reaction.