freshness2020: There are indications that the estranged pioneer
member of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Tom
Ikimi, may leave the party if his grouse with the
leadership of the party is not resolved.
Ikimi spoke with our correspondent on Friday, saying
his absence at both the inaugural meetings of the
party’s Board of Trustees and the National Executive
Council, was in protest.
“Did you see me at the meeting or the caucus (BoT)
meeting,” he queried in text message to our
correspondent.
While responding to our correspondent’s further
probe through text messages and series of telephone
conversations, Ikimi said he had decided to remain in
his house.
He said, “I received their invitations for the meetings,
but I did not attend. I did not attend because I saw no
reason why they should even invite me for their
meetings when they did not address all the
fundamental issues that I raised after the convention.
“Have you seen me attending any of their meetings
since after the convention?”
Further phone conversations by our correspondent
with him went thus:
SUNDAY PUNCH: Does that mean you have left
the party?
Ikimi: I have not said so, I only said I did not attend
the meetings.
SUNDAY PUNCH: That means your status in the
party is uncertain. Nigerians want to know sir.
Ikimi: Wetin I go do when wayo people don drive me
commot for the party wey dem talk se na their own?
(What will I do when fraudulent people drove me
away from the party they claim belongs to them?)
SUNDAY PUNCH: That means you have left the
party. Which party are you joining now?
Ikimi: I have not said so but I remain in my house. I
cannot be running after anybody. I’m in my house.
The former Foreign Affairs Minister has been at
loggerheads with the leadership of the party,
particularly a national leader of the party, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, who he (Ikimi) had openly accused of
turning the party to his private empire.
Ikimi is among the 74 newly-appointed members of
the party’s BoT; but he did not attend the inaugural
meetings of neither the BoT nor the NEC held on
Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai
Mohammed, did not respond to our correspondent’s
text message inquiry, requesting for his comment.
He also did not answer his call.
If he eventually leaves the party, Ikimi will be another
key figure in the party who will be leaving the APC
after the defection of a former Chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu, to the Peoples Democratic Party, about
a week ago.
But a leader of the APC in Abuja, who pleaded not to
be named, said Ikimi was only seeking attention.
“He is only seeking attention. And some of our
governors and even the chairman of the party have
spoken to him but he called their bluff.
“Ikimi himself has sent a governor to us, asking us to
raise a delegation to beg him. But we cannot do that
because we don’t want him to go to the world and
start saying we are begging him.
“If he says he is leaving the APC, will he be going to
the PDP, where Chief Anenih is already the leader?”
The source said Ikimi became a member of the BoT
by virtue of being a former chairman of a political
party — the National Republican Convention.
According to the source, Article 12.2 (v) of the party
provides that a past chairman of a political party,
which has produced a president, vice-President,
governors, members of the National Assembly and
members of the House of Assembly, is an automatic
member of the BoT.
The source added, “There is no big deal about his
membership of the BoT. He only became a BoT
member by the virtue of being a former Chairman of
the NRC. The NRC won seats in the National
Assembly and state Houses of Assembly. That was
what made him a BoT member, not because he is
Ikimi.”
Copyright PUNCH.All rights reserved. “Ikimi himself has sent a governor to us, asking us to
raise a delegation to beg him. But we cannot do that
because we don’t want him to go to the world and
start saying we are begging him. So you want want me to believe this hokum that Ikimi wants you to raise a delegation to come and beg him? ApC is full of fraudulent people indeed. 1 Like |
