A group of All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Bauchi State, known as New Dawn Organization, has been criticised and alienated for accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of throwing the party’s State Governorship seat to the opposition at the Supreme Court and neglecting party members in the state.
The leadership of the State chapter of the APC has distanced itself from the group and its statements, disowning its members as well.
In response to the group, the State APC held a press conference on Monday at the State Secretariat in Bauchi. Saadu Umar Esq, the Chairman of the Publicity Committee of APC in the State, stated, “We vehemently condemn and deny the wild accusations that the APC leadership, the federal government, and the judiciary have, jointly or severally, neglected or maltreated the Bauchi State APC, its members, and the entire population of Bauchi State.”
Sa’adu Umar explained that the Bauchi State APC deeply regrets and disavows the said press release, its presenter, and signatories, as well as condemning the insults and wild allegations therein and wishes to set the record straight.
He further stated, “We strongly take exception to the unconscionable and baseless allegations that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the APC leadership ‘blindly and carelessly throw away the baby with bathwater’ – whatever that means. On the contrary, the President, his Vice, and the APC leadership have got our back. It’s that simple.”
According to him, “We vehemently refute and denounce the false accusations that the APC leadership and federal government committed ‘political blunder, miscalculation and carelessly not taking Bauchi APC and members seriously.’”
He stressed, “President Tinubu’s high regard for Bauchi is manifest; that’s why he appointed two of our sons to lead very important Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and Social Welfare, among others.”
Sa’adu Umar clarified that the so-called Bauchi state New Dawn Organization or the undisclosed NGOs are alien to Bauchi State, with neither registration nor recognition by the state chapter of the APC. “Therefore, it cannot purport to speak for the APC or its membership, as strongly claimed by Orlando,” he added.
He noted that Orlando is known to the APC and was an APC gubernatorial aspirant in 2015, adding, “After losing the primary, he frivolously and futilely sued the APC and the then APC gubernatorial candidate (MA Abubakar) and left the party in 2019, joining the opposition.”
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“He returned to the APC, and though a member, Orlando is not an officer of the Bauchi APC; thus, he cannot and did not speak for the APC or its membership. Again, we disassociate ourselves from his insults and baseless allegations,” he declared.
According to him, “We urge Orlando and his New Dawn Organization to apologize and retract the unfounded allegations and insults leveled against the APC leadership, federal government, President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shettima.”
“We must and hereby apologize to the President, Vice President, APC leadership, federal government, the judiciary, and Northeast states chapters of APC. We are sorry,” Sa’adu Umar said.
He added, “In particular, we condemn and find irresponsible the attempt by Orlando to denigrate and demean the immense contribution of the Vice President and Borno State chapter of the APC by suggesting, stupidly and illogically, that Bauchi APC votes share is more meaningful than Borno’s, while, in fact, the President won in Borno, and the Bauchi APC net vote contribution is in the negative.”
Sa’adu Umar further denied the baseless allegations that polling unit agents have not been paid agentship fees, saying, “It is not true; all polling agents appointed by the APC during the presidential election and indeed the gubernatorial elections were duly paid.”
According to him, “The party has not received any formal complaints from any real agent that their allowances were wrongly withheld. And if any agent has any genuine complaints concerning any unpaid allowances, the door is still open for them.”
“The APC wishes to remind all its members, including Orlando, that they have a duty not to speak or conduct themselves in a manner that shall embarrass, adversely affect, or bring the party to public odium and disrepute. Accusing and insulting leaders of the party, the president, vice president, the federal government, and judiciary. In the way and manner Orlando did without basis or credible evidence may constitute offenses against the party,” Sa’adu Umar added.
It will be recalled that some APC stakeholders under the platform New Dawn Organization, led by Comrade Abdullahi Tanko, alias Orlando, in a press statement, hurled slurs at the APC national leadership, President Tinubu, and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, accusing them of carelessness, blunder, neglect, and maltreatment of not just the APC and its members but the entire populace of Bauchi State.