Joseph Bakare
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said it would discipline members of the party who took the party to court except they withdraw such cases.
Oriental News Nigeria learnt that the affected members include Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and Uche Nwosu, Imo State Governor’s brother in-law among others.
The NCW, on Monday warned that it will not hesitate to wield the big stick if the affected party members failed to withdraw their cases in court.
The APC in a statement issued by Malam Lanre Onilu, its National Publicity Secretary, in Abuja said “The NWC has frowned at the actions of some party members who have resorted to litigation as a way of addressing their perceived grievances and disputation without exhausting the party’s dispute resolution mechanis”.
“This growing trend is viewed by the party as a manifest indiscipline. The action, it should be noted, is considered as anti-party as it goes against our party’s Constitution,” he said.
Onilu added that according to Article 20, Subsection 10 of the party’s Constitution, offences against it included the following: “Filing an action in a Court of Law against the party or any of its officers on any matter relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting all avenues for redress provided for in its Constitution”.
“The party intends to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members as their action is capable of undermining the party and hurt its interest.
“We hereby strongly advise such members to withdraw all court cases, while approaching the appropriate party organs with a view to resolving any outstanding disputes.
“In addition to this, aggrieved members are urged to take full advantage of the reconciliation committees the party has just put in place,”the APC spokesman said.
He added that members of the party should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it was not a matter of choice to keep to the rules.
He advised such members to take this warning very seriously as failure to comply with the party’s dispute resolution procedures would be met with the stipulated disciplinary actions.