Ahead of 2023 general elections, the Adamawa State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ibrahim Bilal, has resigned from the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party, after he was accused of financial misconduct and gross violation of the constitution.
Adamawa is the home state of Aisha, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Earlier today, it was reported that the Adamawa State executive committee of the APC removed Bilal over alleged anti-party activities.
Following Bilal’s removal, his deputy, Ismaila Tadawus, was sworn in as the new chairman of the party, with 24 out of 36 officers appending their signatures.
The executive committee at a meeting held at the APC state Secretariat in Yola, on Monday, accused the chairman of extortion.
In a speech read by the State Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Abdullahi, the executives had alleged that the chairman stayed away from the Secretariat for two months and was absent at the venue of the governorship primary election.
Abdullahi said Bilal had refused to respond to allegations against him while absconding from his official duty to stay in Abuja at a time when the party needed to reconcile members and address grievances arising from the primaries.
“The chairman has shrouded the finances of the party in secrecy and has been running the affairs of the party like a personal investment with no checks and balances and without auditing since he came on board”, he had said.
“The chairman blatantly refused to congratulate the winner of the gubernatorial primaries of our great party, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani on time without any justification even though some party EXCO prodded and advised him to do so”.
He added that Bilal violated Article 21.2 of the APC Constitution by urging the electorates in his Northern Senatorial Zone through his verified Facebook page to vote for the NNPP candidate against the APC candidate, Senator Ishiaku Cliff Abbo, and also Article 23 as amended which provided that joint signatories for the party’s bank account shall include the chairman, the secretary, the treasurer and the financial secretary.
Bilal could not be reached for comment as he did not answer a call from our reporter as at the time of filing this report.
