Fresh leadership crisis rocks AD

27.12.2007

There is a fresh leadership crisis in the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has reported.

Authoritative sources told NAN in Abuja that the new crisis erupted a couple of weeks ago, following counter suspensions of the party chieftains.

A faction led by the party’s National Deputy Chairman (North), Alhaji Hassan Abubakar, announced the removal of Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa as the National Chairman.

The group also sacked the National Secretary, Reverend Manzo Abubakar, and the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Rafi’u Salau.

The action was taken a the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) called by the group in Abuja on Tuesday.

The NEC meeting, which was witnessed by four Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) directors, was attended by the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Iniobong Jackson, and leaders from the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Other officers of the party at the meeting were the National Treasurer, Mr Felix Ogbuagu and the National Financial Secretary, Mrs Rahab Nicholas.

The group accused Akinfenwa of maladministration and misappropriation of party funds estimated at over N20 million.

Besides, they alleged that Akinfenwa was running the party as his private estate, stressing that he had also refused to summon the party’s NEC meetings since the April general elections.

The group also accused Akinfenwa of scheming the party out of the current nationwide local government elections and plotting its eventual de-registration by INEC.

“Akinfenwa bluntly refused to summon NEC meetings. We have approached him on the issue several times and made moves to get him to act but he would not agree,’’ Dr Ben Okeke, the party’s Vice-Chairman (South East), told NAN at the end of the meeting.