ABUJA—Deputy National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, yesterday rebuked the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for setting up a five-man disciplinary committee to investigate a petition purportedly written against him by a member of the party from Akwa Ibom State.
Also the National Committee of Yoruba Youths (NCYY) warned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC against suspending Comrade Timi Frank, saying such action could backfire. While Frank described the Solomon Edoja-led committee as a “kangaroo panel”, he said he would not be intimidated out of the party. He spoke in Abuja while responding to media enquiries regarding the setting-up of the investigative panel. “I am not aware of any committee. Up till now, I have not been served any notice or any letter at all. I am still waiting to receive any invitation from any panel.
Frank also stated that he would not be appearing before the committee, which he said had no locus standi to try investigate him. He said: “I want to make it very clear, I will not attend to any kangaroo committee because I do not know them. “How can I go to a committee that will take their report to Oyegun to decide my fate?” On the soon-to-be announced appointment of a former Sports minister, Bolaji Abdullahi as Acting Publicity Secretary of the party, Frank said while he belongs to the same camp with Abdullahi, the right procedure has to be followed in making such appointments.
“They said they want to appoint my brother and friend as spokesman of the party, and I am happy about that, but they should follow the process because it is only the national convention of the party that can make such appointment. How can you appoint an acting publicity secretary when you have a deputy national publicity secretary? “I want to remind Oyegun not to run the party as a ministry. This is not the time when he worked as a permanent secretary. This is a political party. He cannot hire and fire at will. Why is it only my office that they want to appoint an acting spokesman”, he queried.
According to him, the offices of National Welfare Officer, National Vice Chairman North East, and now Deputy National Secretary who was recently appointed as ambassador are vacant, wondering why the Odigie-Oyegun led leadership of the party should concern itself only with the vacant office of the National Publicity Secretary. Frank recalled how Julius Malema of the African National Congress ANC suffered a similar fate in South Africa, saying he has the capacity to become another Malema if he is suspended.
“So I do not want us to find ourselves in the same scenario that ANC has found itself where Malema is now the bigger opposition. This is not a personal fight, but a fight to entrench internal democracy in the party”. Frank maintained that the president knows what is happening in the party “and that is why he is running his affairs the way he wants it without allowing the party to drive any of his policies”.
Timi Frank‘s suspension will backfire, group warns APC The National Committee of Yoruba Youths (NCYY) has warned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC against suspending its Deputy National Publicity Secretary of (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, saying such action could backfire. In a statement made available to newsmen Thursday in Abuja, President of the group, Oladimeji Olayemi said the party should rather work towards solving all its internal disputes in order to be able to promptly deliver on her mandate to Nigerians.
The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday inaugurated a disciplinary committee to investigate a petition which had accused Timi Frank of granting press interviews, disparaging the party. “We, by this statement call on Chief Oyegun and this cabal to immediately put an end to the continuous blackmails, harassment and intimidation of Comrade Timi Frank.
“We wish to inform Nigerians, APC party faithful across the nation and particularly all peace and fact-seeking ones that there is no established legal or political precedent for the charade that Chief Oyegun and this cabal are currently planning to embark upon by stampeding an elected party official from his duty post through illegality and incitement”, the group stated. ‘Frank accused of granting press interviews’ Meanwhile, the Solomon Edoja five-man disciplinary committee said it is investigating Mr Frank for allegedly granting press interviews “that have brought the party into disrepute”.
Briefing journalists Thursday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Edoja said the panel has already sent an invitation by courier to Mr Frank‘s known official address in Maitama.
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