A former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, has returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC), The Nation
reports.
Report says the Adamawa State chapter of the APC begged
Ribadu to return to the party - the move former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar
and the State Governor Jibrilla Bindow have rejected.
The party, notwithstanding, is getting ready to readmit
Ribadu alongside a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) in the state, Marcus Gundiri, with their supporters, it was
leant.
It was gathered that Atiku, Bindow and two others had
protested Ribadu's return to the National Chairman of the party, John
Odigie-Oyegun, who replied them that it is not against any law once a state
chapter of the party is receptive to anyone’s membership.
The APC leadership said that the constitution allows an
individual to join a party of his choice, and in this case, there is a limit to
what the National Headquarters can do.
Ribadu was said to have accepted to return to the party
following overtures from its leaders at the national level, ex-Governor Murtala
Nyako, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir David Lawal,
the state and local government chapters of the party.
In the letter dated June 22, 2016, the Adamawa State chapter
of the APC, signed by the Acting State Secretary, Alh. Saidu Naira said Ribadu
was invited back to the party given his "track records and progressive
nature," adding that "we strongly believe APC is where you belong to."
“We are also mindful of the efforts and contributions you
made during the merger without which the merger would have been difficult.
“To this end, we reaffirm our request for you to come home
to APC and assist and contribute to the success of the APC government both at
the state and national levels,” the letter read in part.
According to a party source, Ribadu was frustrated out of
the APC by some PDP members who defected to the party during the merger and
countdown to 2015 elections.
“Ribadu did so much for APC in Adamawa State but the setback
which made him to go to PDP was frustration following a disagreement with some
of our leaders, like ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on the impeachment of
ex-Governor Murtala Nyako. Ribadu worked tirelessly to save Nyako from
impeachment but our leaders paid lip service and stoked the fire which made
ex-Speaker Umar Fintiri to remove the former governor," the source said.
“The insincerity of APC leaders in the state made Ribadu to
defect to PDP against his own volition. So, he left APC as a result of local
politics. It was a state affair but today things have changed.
“When Ribadu was pushed to the wall, he had no choice than
to pitch tent with the PDP which needed a credible candidate. Ribadu was
frustrated out of APC for being a true party man to save Nyako.
“And the PDP elements, who joined APC, were uncomfortable
with the anti-corruption stance of Ribadu and his acceptance in the party. So,
it was convenient to hatch a plot to kick him out of the party.
“Today Nyako is vindicated and Umar Fintiri is under
investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“We are now out to correct the past by asking him to return to APC because Nyako has been
vindicated. The court said his removal was wrong. Ribadu has also been
justified because he insisted that Nyako was a victim of political vendetta and
abuse of power. Nyako is back.
“We have realised that we have all wronged Ribadu. We want
him back.”
Atiku and others, it was learnt, had argued that Ribadu's
return will spell doom for the party and trivialise its disciplinary stance,
given that the ex-EFCC boss contested against Bindow on PDP platform
However, their plot to stop Ribadu's return failed, as
President Muhammadu Buhari is said to have endorsed Ribadu's return to the APC
fold.
No comments:
Post a Comment