Group asks Yobe APC chairman to resign over alleged bias
By Ahmed Isah
A political group, First Forum for Peace and Development in Yobe State (Yobe First Movement), has called on the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe to resign over alleged compromise of neutrality ahead of party primaries.
The group made the demand in a letter addressed to the APC chairman and made available to newsmen in Damaturu by its Director-General, Lawan M. Ibrahim.
The letter alleged that the chairman publicly appeared alongside a former governor of the state and participated in endorsing a governorship aspirant, Baba Mallam Wali, ahead of the party’s governorship primaries.
According to the group, the action amounted to a unilateral endorsement capable of undermining confidence in the fairness and credibility of the party’s internal democratic process.
It stated that the office of the state chairman required strict neutrality, especially at a time when other aspirants had already obtained nomination forms for the contest.
“The office of State Chairman requires strict neutrality to serve as an unbiased umpire in the upcoming party primaries and all other electoral processes for leadership selection,” the letter stated.
The group further alleged that the chairman’s action had compromised the trust of party members in the transparency and openness of the planned direct primary election.
It, therefore, urged the APC chairman to either resign his position or recuse himself from all party activities to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants.
The letter said the move would help restore confidence among party members and de-escalate political tension ahead of the primaries.
It added that copies of the letter were sent to the National Chairman of APC, the National Working Committee of the party, APC Board of Trustees and Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe.
