Yobe IPAC crisis deepens as sacked chairman, secretary reject impeachment
The tussle for control of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in Yobe State has taken a new turn, after the embattled Chairman, Umar Adamu Jajere, and Secretary-General, Mustapha Gado, openly faulted the move to oust them.
In a joint statement made available to newsmen on Saturday by the duo, they maintained that the reported impeachment has no legal effect and that they continue to pilot the affairs of the council.
Their reaction is coming at a time when the umbrella body for registered parties in the state is already battling internal challenges, with political activities gradually building up towards the 2027 general elections.
The purported impeachment violated several provisions of the IPAC Code of Conduct (2019) and could not stand", they argued.
They said the gathering where the decision was taken failed to meet the required quorum.
According to them, neither the State Executive Council nor the State Assembly had up to half of its members present, as demanded by Sections 8(ii) and 8(iv) of the Code.
Those who took part in the meeting and voted were not duly accredited. These persons involved had no written nomination from the state chairmen of their parties, a requirement under Sections 4.2(a) and 15", they alleged.
The two officials questioned how the meeting was called, saying there was no written request endorsed by two-thirds of members, and the chairman was also denied the seven days' notice prescribed in Section 8(vii).
They also faulted the disciplinary procedure, noting that no petition was ever forwarded to the Disciplinary Committee or to the Political Parties Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, and no probe was carried out before the announcement of their removal.
The duo, therefore, cautioned that any person claiming to hold office in the Yobe IPAC through that exercise lacks lawful backing.
They also warned that members who took part in the said meeting risk disciplinary measures, including suspension, for allegedly breaching the council's rules.
They appealed to the Yobe State Government, Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission, INEC and other stakeholders to deal only with them as the authentic leadership of the council.
They disclosed that the national headquarters of IPAC has already been informed of the situation, in line with Section 4.3 of the Code.
As of the time of filing this report, the faction that announced the removal had not issued any response.
Yobe IPAC crisis deepens as sacked chairman, secretary reject impeachment