Shuaibu remains adamant, vows not to appear before APC committee

Deputy National Chairman North, Sen. Lawan Shuaibu of the All Progressives Congress has vowed not to appear before the five-man disciplinary committee set up by the party to investigate allegations by him against Adams Oshiomhole, the party’s National Chairman.

In a letter addressed to the committee’s chairman, Otunba Niyi Adebayo on Saturday, Shuaibu stressed that he would not appear before the “illegal” committee, saying that he was too informed to get involved in illegalities.

National Daily recalls that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday had set up the committee to investigate allegations leveled by Shuaibu against Adams Oshiomole, the party’s National Chairman.

The committee, according to Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary was to particularly investigate Shuaibu’s allegation against Oshiomole on issues involving the collective decisions of the NWC.

The committee is also to investigate alleged instigation of Senators and members of House of Representatives by Shuaibu against the decision of the party on the choice of presiding officers for the ninth National Assembly.

However, Shuaibu, while acknowledging receipt of a letter of invitation to appear before the committee, said it lacked the Constitutional backing to investigate him.

According to him, the APC Constitution in Article 21 stated that such power shall only be exercised by the party through its respective Executive Committee at all levels.

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“I am not a lawyer, but I have been in the political party system for about a decade now to know that every decision of the party shall be in line with what its Constitution stipulates.

“When I served as a National Secretary, my own National Chairman would insist that I worked with the National Legal Adviser for advice on every issue before any decision was arrived at, “Shuaibu said.

He noted that the founding fathers of the party entrusted matters of discipline within it to the larger Executive Committees not a group of few party members.

Shuaibu added that the allegation that he was inciting National Assembly members against the party’s nominees for the ninth National Assembly was; “to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it”.

While saying that the allegations against him were weighty, Shuaibu said he would not be intimidated, adding that he had never played double standard in his life or told lies for any favour.