…suspension, expulsion fears grip governor.
Senator representing Kogi West, Otunba Dino Melaye has been made head of a high-powered 11-member Disciplinary Committee to review the various anti-party allegations leveled against Governor Yahaya Bello.
The Dino panel was given seven days to report back to the party leadership in Kogi State.
Executives of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi State, National Assembly members from Kogi State, House of Assembly members and prominent party leaders from the state, held a crucial meeting in Abuja on Monday and accused Governor Yahaya Bello of engaging in anti-party activities.
The APC elected officers and party executive at the end of their meeting that lasted three hours, accused the governor, among others, of appointing card-carrying members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state as commissioners, special advisers, and councils’ caretaker committee members.
According to the resolution of the meeting, which was also attended by the APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, and read to journalists by Melaye after the meeting, Bello allegedly made all the appointments without carrying the party along.
For instance, the Kogi APC leaders said, “Out of the 15 Commissioners he (Bello) appointed, PDP has 13 card-carrying members while APC has two. Out of the 105 members of the Caretaker Committee members for the 21 Local Government Councils, PDP has 72 while APC has 33.”
They also said, “Out of the 28 people he appointed as Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants, PDP has 24, APC has one, APGA has one, Labour has one, Accord has one.”
The party said it acted based on the Article 12 (8) of the APC constitution, to convey the meeting and agreed to set up the committee made up of members from the three senatorial districts of the state to invite the governor, for necessary questioning.
They said their action became imperative following an alleged decision of the governor to rebuff all attempts to hold a meeting with the State Working Committee of the party since he was sworn-in as governor.
They also threatened necessary disciplinary actions against the governor in accordance with the party constitution, in case he chooses to disregard the party resolution.
Part of the resolution reads, “After much deliberations, the House noted that Governor Yahaya Bello, has substantially, breached the provision of Article 21of the constitution of the APC.
“The House, therefore resolved to constitute a disciplinary committee of 11 members to invite Governor Yahaya Bello and give him the desired fair hearing”
Members of the disciplinary committees are, Senator Dino Melaye (Chairman), Hon. S.T. Adejoh (Secretary), Senator Mohammed Ohiare, Senator Abubakar Abdulrahman, Senator Nicholas Ugbane, and Alhaji Haddy Ametuo, the APC Chairman in Kogi State.
Others are, Hon. Buba Jibril, Hajia Hajara Aliyu, Hon. Folasade Joseph, and Hon. Suleiman Baba-Ali.
Disciplinary actions against the governor could mean suspension or outright expulsion from the party.
