NDDC: We Maintain Our Position on Akpabio’s Sack – APC State Chairmen

State Chairmen of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, under the aegis of APC State Chairmen Integrity Group have disassociated themselves from a publication signed by the chairman of forum, Ali Bukar Dolari which sought to retract the forum’s decision on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The Forum in a widely circulated statement, had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Senator Godswill Akpabio due to his unilateral decision on setting up an interim management committee for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC which the State Chairmen described as an act of insubordination and lawlessness.

The decision of the Chairmen which was made public and duly signed by Ali Bukar Dolari and Dr. Ben Nwoye, Chairman and Secretary respectively, was however refuted by same Chairman denying of any call for the sack of the Niger Delta Minister by the forum of APC State Chairmen.

Against this development, APC State Chairmen Integrity Group in counter statement signed by Comrade Abba Yaro, Chairman APC State Chairmen Integrity Group and APC State Chairman, Benue State and Hon. Amos Lalabunafa, Secretary APC State Chairmen Integrity Group and APC State Chairman, Bayelsa State, distanced themselves from the retraction and challenged Ali Bukar Dolari to produce evidence where the Chairmen supported Senator Akpabio.

The Statement tilted, titled, “RE NDDC: APC STATE CHAIRMEN CALL FOR THE SACK OF SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO AS NIGER DELTA MINISTER; SAYS INTERIM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, ACT OF INSUBORDINATION AND LAWLESSNESS” and made available to journalists, reads below.

“Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous retraction signed by the chairman of our forum, Ali Bukar Dolari and purportedly co signed by the Secretary Dr. Ben Nwoye published in the Nation Newspaper of Saturday 2nd November to our publication published in the Vanguard Newspapers of Friday 1st November which was repeated on Saturday 2nd November.

We wish to state categorically that the said publication calling for the sack of Senator Godswill Akpabio as Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs was duly authorized by the Chairman, Ali Bukar Dolari and the Secretary, Dr. Ben Nwoye to our knowledge.

The said retraction is an after thought of the Chairman, Ali Bukar Dolari apparently after yielding to pressures and compromise.

The Secretary of the forum, Dr. Ben Nwoye who authorized the said publication with the Chairman is not part of the said retraction.

The Secretary therefore, dissociates himself from the said retraction, insisting that it was done without his consent.

The Secretary who is very perturbed with the retraction, held that the earlier publication calling for the sack of Senator Godswill Akpabio was extensively discussed with the forum chairman and his approval secured before the publication.

The chairman Hon. Ali Bukar Dolari informed some of us that he was under serious pressure from the Minister and several quarters for him to retract the publication, therefore his retraction in the Nation Newspaper of Saturday 2nd November did not come to us as a surprise.

We therefore reiterate, that the publication by the Forum earlier published on the Vanguard newspaper of 1 and 2 November 2019, and other newspapers, stands.

We challenge the Chairman Hon. Ali Bukar Dolari to produce the notice and minutes of the meeting where the decision to issue a retraction to our publication on vanguard reached.

We further challenge the Chairman Hon. Ali Bukar Dolari to produce evidence of the venue, pictures, attendance register and minutes of the purported meeting where the Forum supported the minister of Niger Delta Senator Godswill Akpabio’s unconstitutional acts in the NDDC.

The APC State Chairmen Integrity Group also frowns at those who are using the name of the APC State Chairmen Forum to achieve their selfish goals, warning those concerned to desist.

We wish to call on the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan Ph.D, and the relevant Senate committee, to ensure the confirmation of the nominees and direct its subsequent inauguration.

The APC State Chairmen Integrity Group urge the general public to disregard the said retraction in its entirety as it was done in bad faith to embarrass the image and integrity of the Forum.”