By Chimaobi Afiauwa, Abuja
The alleged resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has continued to generate conflicting reports, with MUK TV yet to ascertain the veracity of the news of his resignation at the time of filing this report.
Late Sunday night, news filtered in that the APC Chairman had resigned from his position.
But while some sources confirmed that the embattled chairman had resigned, others said the news was fake and a mere rumor peddled by rumor mongers, thus leading to conflicting reports.
Shortly after the news of his possible resignation broke, for instance, the National Youth Leader of the APC, Dayo Israel, posted “Fake News” on his Twitter handle, @dayoisrael.
Adamu’s resignation, as alleged, comes two days before the long-awaited and crucial National Caucus and National Executive Committee meetings of the party.
A member of the party’s NWC, who spoke to The Punch on a condition of anonymity confirmed the news of Adamu’s resignation on Sunday night.
While it could not be ascertained when Adamu threw in the towel, reports say he was compelled to quit by President Bola Tinubu.
We gathered that his resignation letter was delivered to the President by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.
But when newsmen reached out to Bala Ibrahim, APC’s Director of Publicity, he simply said he could not deny or confirm the development.
“I cannot say anything for now. I read the purported resignation of our National Chairman like most Nigerians, but this is all I can say for now.”
Contrary to Ibrahim’s pessimism about the alleged resignation, the NWC source maintained that Adamu had resigned, disclosing that they were disappointed by the action of the former Nasarawa governor, who he said did not deem it important to even address them before submitting his resignation letter.
“We just heard the news this evening too, like every other person, that the chairman has resigned. I understand it was a directive from the presidency. I learned it was the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, who personally handed over the president’s letter to him.
“But we find his action demeaning. He could have, at least, briefed us as members of the same NWC before taking the decision.
“With his resignation, I don’t think he will be at the meeting tomorrow. In his absence, the Deputy National Chairman for the North, Senator Abubakar Kyari, will take over in line with the Constitution. It is the norm that once a national chairman resigns, the deputy national chairman from his zone will take over in an acting capacity. Although we can’t have the official confirmation until tomorrow, my sources are very reliable,” he said.
APC governors are reportedly persuading Adamu to resign to avoid being sacked at the National Executive Committee meeting of the party.
Although the former Nasarawa State governor was reluctant to resign, the overwhelming decision of the governors made him change his decision, according to a source privy to the matter.
Despite the report, a source close to Adamu refuted the report but acknowledged that the APC chairman is under pressure to resign.
“It is not true. But some people, I learned, have decided to see him today or tomorrow to pressurize him to resign.”
As reported by MUK TV, there has been a recent cold war between the APC Chairman and President Tinubu as an aftermath effect of the party’s last year’s presidential primaries.
Recall that in the build-up to the presidential convention of the party on June 8, 2022, Adamu had thrown his weight behind the then-President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan.
He reportedly presented Lawan to former President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s consensus candidate, but his move to get Buhari’s support was truncated by the APC governors, who allegedly informed the President that they were not involved in Adamu’s plot against the former Lagos State governor.
Last week, Adamu admitted in an interview on Arise Television that he did not support Tinubu’s ambition, pointing out that he had the right to support whoever he wanted.
He also dismissed the rumored differences between him and the president as unfounded.
He stated that he was also misrepresented about his position on the recently elected principal officers of the National Assembly, saying that what the APC had issues with was the communication handled by the lawmakers.
Adamu had claimed ignorance of the emergence of the principal officers, saying he was not carried along in the process by the lawmakers.
Responding to a question on his plot to prevent Tinubu from emerging as the candidate of the party, he stated, “I think that’s a soft selling point for you media people. It is true that at the time that I made a presentation to the National Working Committee, the name of Senator Ahmed Lawan was mentioned.
“That was before the convention. So many things took place between then and the actual date of the convention, and you saw what culminated in the convention being unanimous. I was there, and I led the convention of the party.
“A day after the convention, I took the entire working committee to his (Tinubu’s) house in Asokoro and assured him of our support and said we would stand shoulder to shoulder with him and ensure that the mandate was sold properly to the people of Nigeria. We won the election. Instead of being praised, we are vilified,” he said.
He stated that it wasn’t the time for vilification, expressing the view that since he led the party to success, he should be commended.
