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By Amuda Dan Sulaiman FAB.
The seeming confusion generated over who is in charge of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State following the recent NEC decision that affirmed Alhaji Haddy Ametuo as the state chairman of the party may have been laid to rest as he declared that “I remain the authentic chairman of the party in the state”.
He said it was wrong and misleading for anybody else to lay claim to the chairmanship position, contending that “as a follow up to the NEC decision, I Alhaji Haddy Ametuo is the authentic chairman of the APC in Kogi State”.
Speaking during an interview with newsmen shortly after the APC National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting on Tuesday, in Abuja, he maintained that, “my invitation to the the NEC meeting, which was held yesterday, at Abuja attested to the fact that I am the Kogi State chairman of our great party”.
According to Ametuo, “I was invited and accredited to partake in the NEC meeting as the chairman of the APC in Kogi. I believe that as a result of that, the party in Kogi is no longer divided, all the members are under the umbrella of the executive committee led by me”.
On the insinuation that he was not allowed into the NEC meeting in Abuja, he stated that “I know for sure that the factional state APC chairman, Ahovi Salami Ibrahim was not invited to that meeting. I was duly invited and I attended that meeting. If any other person claims that he attended the meeting, let such person show evidence to that effect”.
Ametuo continued, “if you look at the list of the state chairmen brought to that meeting and displayed on social media, you will discover that under Kogi State, it is the name of Alhaji Haddy Ametuo that was there. There is no controversy at all. I was invited, accredited and participated in the meeting. At the end of the meeting, I addressed the pressmen.”
When asked whether Governor Yahaya Bello voted in support of tenure elongation at the NEC meeting, he responded thus, “he (the governor) actually voted in support.
On how peace and cohesion can be sustained in the party, he said “my advice to Ahovi Salami Ibrahim and his followers is that they should accept the situation calmly and join hands with the main stream of the APC now headed by me so that we can work together towards 2019. In life, no condition is permanent.
“That is what we needed in Kogi if we are going to deliver next year. I am urging them that they should not go and join the opposition party. They should remain in the APC and let us build this house together,” he added.
Meanwhile, the APC NEC has approved the extension of the tenure of John Oyegun led National Executive Committee of the party for another one year with effect from June 2018.
It was also extended to the Wards, local governments and state executives.
Recall that Governor Bello opened a parallel party secretariat and constituted a factional executive members with Ibrahim as chairman recently.
However, efforts made to get the reaction of Ahovi Salami Ibrahim, who is another chairman of the APC in Kogi were unsuccessful as several calls put through to his mobile phone rang out without a response, neither did he respond to text message forwarded to him.
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