The ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has been asked to investigate the internal crisis rocking the party in Taraba State.
The APC had fixed Friday, January 20, for its presidential rally in Jalingo, but allegations of corruption and embezzlement of N200 million presidential campaign funds by the leadership continued to cause internal crisis.
A chieftain of the party, Ezekiel Meshach, said APC also had lingering cases in court over its governorship candidate in the state, adding that the “fresh issues of financial theft and misappropriation would only aggravate the existing problems within the party at the state and local levels.”
Trouble started when the embattled governorship candidate of the state, Emmanuel Bwacha, was alleged to have been working behind the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Maji Sambo, who is also the State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council.
“It is more troubling and a thing of national disgrace to the APC with what played out behind the scenes and the facts surrounding why the N200 million budgeted for the presidential campaign council for Taraba, was handed over to someone other than the appointed coordinator,” Meshach said in a release he put out on Thursday.
“Bwacha and his camp are also said to be on a mission of forcing the minister to resign his position as the coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council for Taraba. They want Sambo to resign or they will sabotage every effort aimed at ensuring the success of the presidential campaign council in Taraba.
“The National body of the APC therefore has a huge burden of investigating this weighty and disturbing allegations, with a view to accounting for the campaign funds and ensuring the success of the party in the state.
“So how can the committees function without the necessary funds to carry out their duties? How should money allocated for a presidential rally be diverted to personal use or the advancement of an individual’s interest?
“The attention of the national body of the party, the DG of the Presidential campaign council Simon Bako Lalong, and also the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, should as a matter of urgency, be brought to this issue or the consequences of this aberration could be grave for the party.
“The APC is advised to shun any activity in Taraba and put on hold the presidential rally for now until these matters are resolved,” he added.
Meanwhile, the APC governorship candidate in the state, Emmanuel Bwacha, announced a postponement, saying, “Postponement followed the realisation of an error in the date for the rally,” adding that the APC-PCC, as a matter of policy, does not hold rallies on Fridays and Sundays to respect the religious sensitivity of its members and supporters.
