Fresh crisis hits IPAC as ex-chair heads for court over election

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has berated the former National Chairman, Yabagi Yusuf Sani for taking the new leadership of the organisation to court after initially congratulating the winners after the December 18 election in which he lost his second term bid to Yusuf Mamman Dantalle.

Daily Trust reports that Dantalle, a former National Secretary of the organisation, garnered 10 votes against Sani’s eight votes while one vote was voided, leading to Sani accepting defeat and congratulating Dantalle with both of them publicly embracing each other.

However, addressing reporters on Tuesday in Abuja, Alex Maiyanga, National Organising Secretary, Action Democratic Party (ADP), on behalf of Sani, said he had since rejected the outcome of the process.

He said the election that produced Dantalle as the new IPAC Chairman was flawed with several irregularities.

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“At first glance, it seemed like a fair and valid outcome and Sani graciously congratulated Dantalle on his victory,” he said.

Reacting to the development on Wednesday in a statement, Dantalle, through the newly elected National Publicity Secretary, Chinyere Ogekalu, berated Sani for exhibiting anti-democratic tendencies and being a bad loser.

According to her, on December 12, some progressive party leaders resisted the attempt by Sani to perpetuate himself in office beyond the expiration of his tenure on December 13.

“We are not surprised by his actions using the platform of his gagged political party where he is the national chairman, NWC, NEC and BOT or how else do you explain the signing of an official press statement emanating from his party by one Dr. Alex Maiyanga who is not the spokesperson and with an entirely different job description according to his portfolio.

“However, in vindication of those who resisted him and in furtherance of his desperation, Yabagi Sani ran to court on 28 December 2023 to get a court order stopping the inauguration of the newly elected IPAC National Executives while the court at the same time directed the current IPAC Executives to continue to run the affairs of the Council until the determination of the suit.”