Hillard Etta: APC Chairman Adamu Should Step Aside

President  Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met with All Progressives Congress National Chairman,  Abdullahi Adamu on Thursday with speculations flying around saying the meeting may concern the recent appointment of principle officers of the senate. 

The National Chairman vented his resentment on Tuesday at the announcement of the new National Assembly leadership by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, and Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate.

Deputy Majority Leader Dave Umahi of Ebonyi South, Chief Whip Ali Ndume of Borno South, and Deputy Whip Lola Ashiru of Kwara South were also named by Akpabio. Additionally, he designated Kamorudeen Olarere (PDP Osun West) of Osun West as the Deputy Minority Leader and Mwadkwon Davou of Plateau North as the Minority Leader.

After the Senate President appointed Opeyemi Bamidele, a legislator from Ekiti Central, as the 10th Senate Majority Leader, the party chair addressed the National Working Committee and APC governors in a vital meeting at the party office in Abuja.

Rufai Hanga (NNPP Kano Central) was chosen Deputy Minority Whip, while Darlington Nwokeocha (LP Abia Central) was designated Minority Whip.

Adamu said that the party had not been officially notified about the distribution of the posts and labelled the allegation that main officers had begun to appear as untrue. It is believed that the chairman’s action was done in spite of the head of the party, which is the president.

In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Thursday, Hillard Etta, former acting National Chairman OF the APC, came out to ensure Adamu does not have the resources to fight a president, especially a  “consummate politician” like President Tinubu. 

“I feel like every time adamu steps out, and this is not the first time, he will be disowned by his very own immediate constituency which is the NWC, and so for me and for some other members of the party, we see it as a journey in mischief and it is time for everybody to call the national chairman to order. 

“Now taking the process of electing officers leadership of the principle officers of the national assembly, we know the process. We know the convention. The convention is that the caucus of the party and the party will have a conversation, and then come out with the leadership and the positions given to the party. If it is a majority party, even with regards to the minority party, the same convention has always played out. Now, further investigation the president of the senate had consulted with the national chairman, and he got the buy-in of the national chairman. And for the national chairman to come out and tell Nigerians that it is a rumour, it is, to be generous, a journey in mischief.”

When asked if he  believed that the National chairman was deceiving the people, Hillard stated, “Well I think is the place of the national chairman to tell Nigerians if he is lying or not. But I do know that leader ship of the national assembly had met with  him and that he was consulted and had his input with whatever has happened with the election of the national assembly.”

The former Chairman stated that the president cannot be associated with “distractions” and that Adamu may need to step down from his position if he continues with this act as he reiterated that it is not the first time the Chairman is making such an outburst.

“The most honourably thing Adamu can do right now is to step aside. There is a leader of the party, these kinds of things are not brought to the public sphere without proper consultation of the stakeholders of the party. As you are aware, the governors of the party are not happy with his utterances. The NWC is not happy with his utterances. The general members of the party are not happy. You cannot  be a distraction to this government.”

Glamour Adah

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