The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday threatened to sanction any member who institute any case against the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the party led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State.
The party issued the threat in response to a court case allegedly instituted at a Federal High Court in Lagos against the NCC.
The NCC was inaugurated penultimate week after the dissolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) at a special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja.
As part of the resolution, President Muhammadu Buhari who attended the meeting had advised all APC members with litigation against the party to discontinue their case.
But a member of the party in Lagos, Chief Lateef Arigbaruwo was said to have filed a case against the party.
The state APC Chairman, Hon Tunde Balogun, in a response to the purported case said, “We believe the person who instituted the suit is not a member of our party because it is highly doubtful that a bonafide member of the APC in Lagos in good standing would initiate such an action; we will, however, investigate the matter.”
The Chairman reiterated that no member of the party should file a court action “regarding the recent National Executive Committee meeting of the party in Abuja particularly if that person has not even sought to initiate internal conflict resolution processes to resolve any dispute they may have with the NEC decisions.”
He said, “Filing any such legal action is clearly against the spirit and letter of the party constitution, which prohibits legal action before a member exhausts all internal resolution mechanisms. Our resolve against institution of any court case by any member is in consonance with the constitution of the party.
“Lagos APC will not turn a blind eye to the flouting of the constitution in this manner. We are trying to restore order and decorum to the party and thus no member should seek to sow confusion.
“Any party member involved in the institution of any such case should withdraw the case from court forthwith. Failure to do so, will subject that party member to sanctions enumerated in the constitution, which may include suspension or expulsion.”
According to him, “no party can flourish when members engage in instituting frivolous court cases for the sole purpose of causing disunity and turmoil. This is an act of gross indiscipline which cannot be sustained and which we will not allow.”
