Rowdiness was the order of the day as the National Chairman of Action Alliance (AA), Hon Adekunle Rufai, was Thursday suspended in Abuja over alleged misappropriation of party’s funds.
This is as most delegates at the venue accused the chairman of corruption, high-handedness, rascality and plot to change the party’s name from Action Alliance to Action Congress.
The suspension was adopted and ratified at the party’s 2022 national convention, where delegates from the 36 states of the federation and FCT converged to draw out modelities for the party ahead of future elections.
This came after stiff resistance from regional delegates, who said the decision was rather too harsh and hasty, was diluted by some powerful forces of the party.
Some delegates from the North and South-west who were at the venue described the suspension as political but this could not save Rufai from the plot to suspend him, which many fear could be the end to his reign.
Rufai, who was absent at the venue of the meeting, was said to have declined several calls put across to him by party members to attend an emergency meeting called by the national secretariat for Wednesday, 5 January, where the decision of his suspension was mooted.
Consequently, leadership of the party acted on the five decisions taken at its last meeting, among which were the immediate suspension of the national chairman and his executive members; setting up a seven man committee to investigate the national chairman and his excos, while the deputy national chairman is act on his stead pending when the investigation is concluded.
The investigation committee is expected to summit its report within 21 days to the National Think Thank Committee (NTTC).
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman Board of Trustees of the party, Dr. Adeyemi, said although the party needs disciplined leadership and people with the right quality to run its affairs, the suspension was unprecedented.
He said: “I am impressed with the turn out today. We have to put some sanity into Action Alliance. But if you want to treat headache, you don’t have to cut off the head, otherwise the entire body would be affected”.
“We are here to put the party forward. The tongue and the teeth fight so is husband and wife, said Dr. Adeyemi who called for calm and advised that the suspension should be kept aside pending further internal talks.
Similarly, a delegate and leader of the party from Kano State, Sani Mdara, raised an objection, requesting that the secretariat brief the convention on the allegations
He said the decision leading to the suspension of the national chairman was shrouded in secrecy.
“We have to know the allegations leveled against him, when he committed them and if it involves funds, we should also know how much and how.
But he was shut down by a chieftain of the party from Imo State, Chief Ogadike Chinelu, who pointed that there are evidence before the party that the national chairman has concluded plans to change the party’s name.
“I have evidence to show that they want to change Action Alliance to Action Congress. If you are national chairman, behave like a national chairman. He threatened everyone that dared him. He also threatened to sack any state party chairmen who questioned him,” said Ogadike.
While responding to call by some delegates to brief the convention on how they arrived at the decision to suspend the current national exco, national secretary of the party, Suleiman Abdulrasheed, said internal party affairs cannot be brought before the public for debate as this has to do with allegation of fund misappropriation.
He said: “Allegations have been made but it is an internal party issue that we cannot sit before the media to discuss. Let us not bring the cat out of the bag. Let’s leave the cat inside the bag.
Acting national chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Isha, who spoke at the close of the convention, however, called on party faithful to allow the committee go on with the investigation for the sake of accountability.
He appealed to them to be patient for now to allow the party to do what is best for all of its members.
(Adopted from THISDAY)
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