APC acted in error in suspending, says Abdul-Kadir

By Tunde Opalana, Abuja 

The National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Inuwa Abdul – Kadir, has expressed shock over his suspension by the national working committee of the party.

He said the party’s leadership should have known that his purported expulsion by the Sokoto state executive committee of the party is a subject of litigation which the national working committee shouldn’t have dabbled into.

Abdul – Kadir explained that he did not ignore the party’s invitation, but was hamstrung by his compelling appearance at the court on the day he was invited.

In a statement on Friday, he said the decision of the APC national working committee upholding the disciplinary action by his ward and the state executive of the party against him has been the subject matter of an action filed in suit SS/33/2019 pending at the Sokoto state High Court in which the party’s national chairman, the Sokoto state chairman are defendants and have entered appearances. 

He said further that “it will be recalled that just last week, I made public my response to a telephone conversation in the evening of July 3 and an invitation letter I subsequently, received on July 10 from Otunba Niyi Adebayo, the APC deputy national chairman drawing his attention to my inability to appear before his committee on July 4 because at that time I was in Sokoto.

“And on the said appointed date, the suit which I filed before the Sokoto state High Court in respect of the said petition/disciplinary action under reference was coming up and did counsel that the matter is sub-judice. 

“Therefore, the proper thing to do is to keep the matter in abeyance. This, I assumed will be respected by the purported meeting of the NWC or even under whatever guise in view of the same reason I gave earlier last week. 

“I am still constrained to comment on the propriety of the purported meeting of the NWC and decision there from, but as a professional and responsible Nigerian citizen who is a stickler for the rule of law not rhetoric, I will keep my patience for justice to prevail notwithstanding that the wheel of justice grinds slowly, but certainly and surely.”   

Assuring members of his loyalty to the party, he said “I would like to assure our members nationwide and other well -wishers who knew of my leadership credentials and repose confidence in me and elected me twice as the national vice chairman (North West) of the party that I will not be deterred in upholding the tenets of justice and fairness for public good either as a party executive or elsewhere.”