After Setting Up National Reconciliation C’tee, APC Threaten To Sanction Members Who Take Party To Court

Despite setting up national reconciliation committee, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened to sanction party members who failed to utilise internal mechanism to resolve perceived grievances before heading to court, saying such action is capable of undermining the party and hurt it’s interest.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu said in a statement in Abuja that the party was concerned about the action of the members, asking such members to withdraw all such cases in court or face disciplinary action.

Several members of the party have taken the party to court as a result of the outcome of the party primaries which produced it’s candidates for the 2019 general election.

Some of those in court with the party include serving ministers of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, and his Niger Delta counterpart, Usani Uguru Usani, Senator Magnus Abe, Chief of Staff to Imo state Governors, Ogumba Uche Nwosu and several other who lost out in the lost out in the power play during the primaries.

The statement said that members who have taken the party to court should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it is not a matter of choice to keep to the rules.

It said such members should take warning very seriously as failure to comply with the party’s dispute resolution procedures would be met with the stipulated disciplinary actions.

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The statement reads: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 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 mechanism.

“This growing trend is viewed by the party as a manifest indiscipline. The actions, it should be noted, is considered as anti-party as it goes against our Party’s constitution.

“For emphasis, according to Article 20, Subsection 10 of our Party’s Constitution, offences against the Party include the following: “Filing an action in a Court of Law against the Party or any of its Officers on any matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the Party without first exhausting all avenues for redress provided for in this Constitution.”

“The Party intends to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members as their action is capable of undermining the party and hurt the Party’s 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.

“APC members should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it is not a matter of choice to keep to the rules.

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“We therefore advise 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.”