Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa has dismissed the threat by the caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to expel him from the party for expressing reservations on the legality of the committee and its activities, describing it as an empty threat.
Marafa, who represented the Zamfara Central Senatorial District in the last assembly, had on Sunday, threatened to institute a legal action against the chairman of the national caretaker committee of the APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State over the violation of the party’s constitution in the conduct of the party’s affairs.
The caretaker committee through its secretary, Sen. John James Akpanudodehe, had on Monday, warned Marafa to submit to party supremacy or be sanctioned.
Reacting to the threat through a statement Wednesday in Abuja, Marafa said he cannot be silenced by the threat of the caretaker committee.
“Expelling me from the party will only aggravate the problem, it will herald the beginning of the agitation; rule of law must be respected. The committee is an illegal and alien to the constitution of the party, we are building everything on nothing. Rather than the expulsion threat, the committee or the chairman should respond to issues I raised.
“What our party constitution says that rendered Buni- committee null and void
“Section 17 (4) of the constitution of our beloved party, says ‘ no officer in any organ of the party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently. Article 20 states the only way the leadership of the party can evolve.
“Section 13.3(iv) which was relied upon to create the illegal body called CECPC talked about the power of NEC to create committees.
“APC is a political party not a committee, committees are created to serve a specific functions not to usurp the powers of the entire legal entity. The function of the Mai Mala committee is to plan a convention just as its name implies, Mai Mala is the chairman of the APC convention planning committee and not APC itself,” the statement said.
The former Senator added that “Section 12.3 lists the party’s NEC members and it made the National Chairman of the party and NOT the chairman of any committee by whatever name as the chairman of the organ while section 12.3 (xxxi) list the president and vice president of the Federal republic of Nigeria as members only, so the question is; who approved the constitution and subsequent extensions of tenure of office of the illegal and obnoxious CECPC?”
“We will show him the way out dishonourably We would not allow the party we contributed immensely to develop to be destroyed by over ambitious self-centred and enemies of the party, and the country.
“This is the party we laboured, toiled and laid the foundation for its success. We will not allow those who have little or no stake in the party to destroy it or to please certain individuals and achieve their selfish interest,” he said.
Marafa, while insisting that he has committed no offence, he said the party should revert to the path of constitutionality and rule of law or face extinction.
Zamfara crisis: Expulsion threat against me won’t work, Marafa tells APC
