There were controversies, on Sunday, over the alleged resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
While some sources confirmed to The PUNCH that the embattled chairman had resigned from his position, others said it was a rumour.
The PUNCH could not officially confirm the alleged resignation as of press time, while top APC chieftains contacted by our correspondents gave conflicting information.
This is coming two days before the long-awaited crucial National Caucus and National Executive Committee meetings of the party.
An APC NWC member confirmed the alleged resignation to our correspondent on Sunday night on condition of anonymity.
Also, our correspondent could not immediately confirm when Adamu threw in the towel, but he was said to have been ordered to quit by President Bola Tinubu.
It was gathered that his resignation letter was delivered to the President by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
The APC spokesman, Felix Mouka, did not respond to calls and a message seeking clarification on the development but sources attributed it to Adamu’s failure to support Tinubu’s presidential aspiration ahead of the party’s convention.
The party’s Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said he could not deny or confirm the development.
He said, “I cannot say anything for now. I read the purported resignation of our National Chairman like most Nigerians but this is all I can say for now.”
The PUNCH also reached out to a former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, who promised to get back; a pledge he had yet to fulfil as of the time of filing this report.
However, the NWC source disclosed that they were disappointed by the action of the former Nasarawa governor, who he said did not deem it important to even address them before submitting his resignation letter.
He said, “We just heard the news this evening too like every other person that the chairman has resigned. I understand it was a directive from the presidency. I learnt it was the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, who personally handed over the president’s letter to him.
“But we find his action demeaning. He could have, at least, briefed us as members of the same NWC before taking the decision.
“With his resignation, I don’t think he will be at the meeting tomorrow. In his absence, the Deputy National Chairman for North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, will take over in line with the Constitution. It is the norm that once a national chairman resigns, the deputy national chairman from his zone will take over in an acting capacity. Although we can’t have the official confirmation until tomorrow, my sources are very reliable,” he said.
The PUNCH could not independently confirm the claim by the NWC member. The paper could not also confirm if Kyari would chair the meeting.
It was also gathered that the governors asked Adamu to resign to avoid being sacked at the forthcoming party’s National Executive Committee meeting.
A top source, who was privy to the development, said though the former governor of Nasarawa State was reluctant to resign, the overwhelming decision of the governors made him change his decision.
However, a source very close to the APC chairman told The PUNCH that, “It is not true. But some people, I learnt, have decided to see him today or tomorrow to pressurise him to resign.”
In the run-up to the presidential convention of the party on June 8, 2022, Adamu had thrown his weight behind the then-President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
He reportedly presented Lawan to former President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s consensus candidate, but his move to get Buhari’s support was truncated by the APC governors who allegedly informed the President that they were not involved in Adamu’s plot against the former Lagos State governor.
Last week, Adamu admitted in an interview on Arise Television that he didn’t support Tinubu’s ambition, pointing out that he had the right to support whoever he wanted.
He also dismissed the rumoured differences between him and the president as unfounded.
He stated that he was also misrepresented about his position on the recently elected principal officers of the National Assembly, saying that what the APC had issues with was the manner the communication was handled by the lawmakers.
Adamu had claimed ignorance of the emergence of the principal officers, saying he was not carried along in the process by the lawmakers.
Responding to a question on his plot to prevent Tinubu from emerging as the candidate of the party, he stated, “I think that’s a soft selling point for you media people. It is true that at the time that I made a presentation to the National Working Committee, the name of Senator Ahmed Lawan was thrown up.
“That was before the convention. So many things took place between then and the actual date of the convention and you saw what culminated in the convention unanimously. I was there and I led the convention of the party.
“A day after the convention, I took the entire working committee to his (Tinubu’s) house in Asokoro and assured him of our support and said we would stand shoulder to shoulder with him and ensure that the mandate was sold properly to the people of Nigeria. We won the election. Instead of being praised, we are vilified,” he said.
He stated that it wasn’t the time for vilification, expressing the view that since he led the party to success, he should be commended.
Apart from this, Adamu had also been involved in a running battle with the North-West National Vice Chairman of the party, Salihu Lukman, who accused the party chair of running the APC like an army barrack without recourse to the NWC.
The Kaduna politician expressed concerns that the day-to-day administration of the secretariat and key decisions that involve party activities were taken at the discretion of the national chairman.
Lukman revealed in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday titled ‘Rebuilding the APC to Reform Nigerian Politics: Task Before President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ issued on June 16.
But Adamu in defence said those who had issues against him had always had the opportunity to air their views at their national meetings, explaining that Lukman had always attended those meetings.
He stated that the decision of Lukman to take the party to court was a grave offence even though he later signed a deal that his case had been withdrawn from the court and apologised for his misdemeanour.
Adamu said he would be will willing to disagree with the president on any matter because there was freedom of speech in the country, explaining that the so-called altercation with the president remained a media creation.
Shortly after the news of Adamu’s possible resignation broke, the National Youth Leader of the APC, Dayo Israel, posted “Fake News” on his Twitter handle, @dayoisrael.
Although he was not specific on the report he referred to as fake news, most of the responses posted by his followers were on the resignation rumour.
