Struggle over post of APC’s spokesman worsens

The fight for the office of the national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a dramatic turn as one of the contenders, Yekini Nabena locked the office of the party’s publicist on Monday.

Nabena, who is the deputy national publicity secretary, has been at logger head with the substantive National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa – Onilu, who occupied the office until last Friday.

Reports have it that Nabena stormed the national secretariat of the party early on Monday, headed for the office of the national publicity secretary, ordered the staff out and locked the office.

Indications that the leadership crisis may not have been over emerged as Nabena on Sunday announced that he is assuming office in acting capacity as the party’s spokesperson.

He backed his action following the verdict of a Sokoto state High Court, which restrained Onilu from acting as the national publicity secretary of the APC.

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According to him, Onilu was dragged to the court by the then suspended National Vice Chairman (north –west), Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir on the grounds that he was not produced by the APC national convention and therefore, cannot occupy the position reserved only for members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

He relied on Article 22 of the APC constitution, which stipulates that an NWC member must be produced by a convention.

Nabena said he has taken over as the APC’s acting national publicity secretary, pending when Onilu will vacate the court order restraining him.

But, in a swift reaction, Lanre Issa – Onilu called Nabena a jester, while he insisted that he remains the authentic spokesman of the party.

Debunking the claim by his deputy, Onilu described it as a joke taken too far as there is no restriction order on his position as national publicity secretary.

He said that “no court ruling has restrained me from being the national publicity secretary of the party. There’s no such court judgment restraining me. He’s (Nabena) chasing shadows.

“In the case he (Nabena) reffered to, my deputy claimed that the court restrained the party from appointing or electing Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu or any member into its top positions except through a national convention.

“For me, I am not seeking for any office that will warrant restraining the party from appointing or electing me. My office is not vacant or being contested for. I remain the national publicity secrertary of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.”