APC in Bauchi State says Babyo Misau remains chairman, dismisses suspension as illegal

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer

 The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bauchi State declared in Abuja on Tuesday that Alhaji Babayo Misau remains its chairman.

Party chieftains declared Saturday’s suspension of Alhaji Misau by a group from his Kukadu Gundari ward in Misau Local Government Area of the state as illegal, null and void.

One Alhaji Ibrahim Lawan, who claimed to be the APC chairman of Kukadu Gundari Ward, announced the suspension of the state chairman in Abuja on Saturday in the company of other officials.

The group accused Misau of working against the party and alleged that he voted for opposition party at the 2023 governorship election in the state.

The group also told newsmen on Saturday that it was yet to convey Misau’s suspension to the local government, state and national organs of the party.

Reacting to the announcement on Tuesday in Abuja, Chairman of the Kukadu Gundari ward, Alhaji Baba Iman said those that announced the suspension of the state chairman were impostors, not known to APC in the ward.

Iman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the group was a breakaway group and an illegal faction of APC in Kukadu Gundari ward.’

He said the purported suspension of the state chairman was the brainchild of a former APC senator in the state who defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) but was determined to destroy the APC.

He added that the former senator that led the group is a member of the NNPP.

“He left APC sometimes ago, but has decided to return to cause trouble for us using the other faction.

“They knew that they would not succeed in executing the illegal endeavour if they tried to use me against the state chairman; so they used the other faction.

“As ward chairman, I am not aware of the suspension; I was not informed until they executed the evil plan.

“I want the world to know that what they did was wrong and illegal. It was done without my consent. I want them to be sanctioned for bringing shame and disrepute to our name and party.

“I may take them to court to seek for redress. The former senator should please stop causing problem in the APC. He is in NNPP and not in APC.

“We have his letter of resignation and withdrawal of his membership from the APC,’’ Iman said.

He charged Misau to continue to discharge his duties as state chairman and also called on party supporters and chieftains to support the chairman to reclaim the party’s governorship mandate.

Speaking in the same vein, APC Chairman in Misau Local Government Area, Alhaji Ahmad Misau said the purported suspension of the state chairman was a plan to destroy the APC in Bauchi State.

Misau said it was the defector former senator that organised those who announced the suspension of the state chairman in Abuja on Saturday as part of plans to destroy the APC.

He said the defector APC senator was seen going around with the party’s governorship candidate, retired Air Vice-Marshal Abubakar Sadiq during the 2023 campaigns.

“We later got information that he masterminded the organisation of some groups to announce the suspension of the state chairman of APC without following due process.

“All the allegations made against the state chairman are untrue. He voted for APC and for Sadiq at the elections. The truth is that the state chairman has many enemies that contested the position against him.

“They are doing everything possible to get at him; even now that we are supposed to focus on how to get back our mandate and not fighting one another.

“Our party, the APC won the Bauchi State governorship election; we won in Misau and in many places, but the election was rigged. Thus, we should focus on reclaiming our mandate and not all these retrogressive endeavours.

“We also heard that the so-called ward chairman and two others that made the illegal suspension announcement were paid handsomely to orchestrate that evil act,’’ Misau said.

He stressed that the illegal suspension of the state chairman could not stand, because it did not follow procedures, rules and regulations.

He reiterated that against the allegation of anti-party activities made against the state chairman, he voted for Sadiq, but his detractors used Photoshop technology to showcase that he did not vote for Sadiq.

“I don’t know what they want to achieve with the illegal way of suspending the state chairman.

“My advice to all our members and supporters is to be patient with one another and pursue the goal of reclaiming our mandate.

“We need to have faith, love one another and have an effective reconciliation so that Sadiq will get his mandate back.

“We believe in the Bimodal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) used in the election, but it failed; we were rigged out.

“ I hope and pray that the National Chairman of our party, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, an experienced politician will understand that the allegations against our state chairman are false.

“We have proof to debunk the allegations,’’ Misau said.

Also speaking with NAN, the state chairman said his purported suspension was announced by an impostor, Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal, who claimed to be the party chairman in Kukadu Gundari Ward in Misau Local Government Area.

“I am not aware of the said suspension. It was announced by an unknown group. The so-called ward chairman that made the announcement is just an impostor who was never elected as ward chairman.

“It is so unfortunate that a former senator that lost out and withdrew his membership of the APC in Bauchi State is trying to cause confusion and disharmony in the party in Bauchi State.

“We heard he was the arrowhead that mobilised unknown people to Abuja to announce that I was suspended. That was against the party’s Constitution, because the APC Chairman of Misau Local Government was not aware.

“For the records, I am still chairman of APC in Bauchi State. The law that allows ward chairman of a party to suspend an official has been repealed. It is out-dated, null and void,’’ Misau stressed. (NAN)