Taraba APC Congress: Aggrieved Chairmanship Aspirant Drags Party to Court 

From Andrew Ojih,  Jalingo. 

The recent Congress of the Taraba state chapter of All Progressives Congress Apc that produced a new executives for the party has taken a fresh turn, as an aggrieved chairmanship aspirant, Alhaji Haruna Hadi Lau, has dragged the party before the Federal High Court in Jalingo.

Lau while briefing journalists over the weekend in Jalingo alleged that he was unjustly excluded from the process that produced a consensus candidate during the party’s  state congress.

He noted  that he never stepped down for any candidate, contrary to claims circulating within the party, stressing that the process that led to the emergence of the party’s state chairman lacked transparency and fairness.

He further alleged that officials assigned to conduct the congress were not allowed to properly engage with contestants prior to the exercise.

“The congress was conducted without my knowledge because I did not see the election committee and the appeal committee. If they were on the ground, they ought to have met with all the contestants before the congress, but that did not happen” he said. 

He further disclosed that he has formally petitioned the process and approached the court seeking redress, stressing that the alleged compromise of the committees left him with no option but to challenge the outcome legally.

The ugly trend has also sparked growing discontent among some members of the party in the state. Some aggrieved party members who spoke with journalists expressed concern that the manner in which the congress was conducted could negatively affect the party’s fortunes in future elections.

They alleged that long standing members of the party were sidelined during the congress, paving the way for what they described as “new APC members” to occupy key leadership positions in the state.

According to them, several members of the newly constituted executive were formerly members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The concerned members warned that unless the national leadership of the party intervenes to address the grievances, the internal crisis could deepen and undermine party unity ahead of future elections.

They urged the national leadership of the APC to urgently intervene and resolve the dispute.

In a swift response,  the party’s state spokesperson, Aaron Artimas, dismissed the allegations, explaining that the positions in the state executive were zoned and allocated to various stakeholders to nominate candidates.

According to him, the stakeholders submitted a list of nominees which was later endorsed by the party’s caucus, made up of former elected leaders.