The immediate past Chairman of Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Mr Samuel Akala has declared that his suspension by the All Progressives Congress (APC) is null and void, saying it lacked constitutional backing.
Reacting to his purported suspension from the party by the ward chairman, he said the APC could not carry not take such action against him without following due process.
The APC at the Panda/Kare electoral ward of Karu LGA had, on Saturday, announced the suspension of the former chairman of Karu local government area over allegations of anti-party activities, disloyalty to the governor and the party leadership in the state.
“I was greeted with the news of my suspension from my party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) of Panda/Kare Electoral Ward, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on the 7th July, 2023, on issues bothering on anti-party activities, disloyalty to His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule and the leadership of the party in the State, a suspension that is totally strange to me and every sane mind.
“The suspension does not meet the minimum requirements for suspending erring members of the party, as clearly stipulated by the APC’s constitution and our extant laws which gives room for fair hearing,” Akala stated.
“While I was hoping on getting commendations from the leadership of the party in the State, Local Government and Ward Executives for my successful outing in delivering the APC and its candidates in my polling unit in the last general election, a daring electoral success which even the state APC chairman and some self-acclaimed stakeholders of the party in the area cannot boast of given a full glare of working for the opposition SDP and its candidates which led to the defeat of the APC candidates, my reward is suspension?”
Akala, in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists in Lafia, accused the state party chairman, John Mamman, Karu local council chairman and others of anti party and challenged them to present their polling units results of the general elections.
“I am also aware that the new mandate assigned to Karu LG chairman and the APC in the local government is to ensure that I’m suspended and intimidate me not to speak the truth. This is a lost battle.
“On my purported suspension, I have since drafted my team of lawyers to institute a legal action as regards the suspension.
“However, I wish to state that this suspension can be likened to the case of giving a dog a bad name just to hang it,” Akala claimed.
According to the former Aide to governor Sule, “there is no where in this part of the country where I, Akala was seen engaged in any anti-party activities, name calling of the Governor or acted in a manner that depicts disloyalty to my Party. The desperation and inordinate ambition of some individuals in the state is gradually institutionalizing Illegality and abuse of office.
“ Very unlike the requirements of our party constitution, I was never invited by the Ward Executives of the party or any known committee constituted by the party to defend any allegation of disloyalty and anti-party leveled against me. Moreso, no evidence of my disloyalty and anti-party activities was tendered anywhere before any party member or any committee for investigation. A committee was simply constituted with the mandate to indict me of anti-party and disloyalty, and a written script for my suspension was drafted and transmitted to my ward Party Chairman for his endorsement which he acted blindly”, Akala alleges.
