 The ruling all-progressive Congress APC is set to go tough on members who have gone ahead with litigation without first exhausting its internal conflict resolution mechanisms. National Secretary of the Party, Senator John Ackman-Wdoeddig, had announced the party was compiling a list of members who had ignored the resolution of the National Executive Council, asking all members to discontinue court cases instituted against either the party or its leaders. The list he said would be forwarded to neck for the necessary action. Now, in Inugu, the party chapter of the states said that 41 of its members have self-expelled themselves from the party for filing a suit in a court without exhausting the internal mechanisms as provided in the party's constitution. Tungji Abdulamid, legal practitioner, and Adiwale Adimolahi, political analyst. Thank you very much gentlemen for joining us. Thank you for having me. Thank you. I'll start with you Tungji because obviously there's a lot of litigation involved in this. I know that you're not a member of the APC, but of course parties, all political parties, have internal mechanisms that need to be explored. But we also know that 2023 is around the corner and we've seen a lot of movements, you know, cross-caputing here and there, but for the APC, is expulsion really the way to go right now? It may not be the way to go, but I think if you look at the APC constitution, particularly article 21D, we talked about the punishment for offences highlighted in article 21A. One of the punishment for, or the middle punishment for a member who decided to take the party members to court without exhausting the internal mechanism is expulsion. In other words, automatic expulsion, that's how to put it, automatic expulsion. So, in that regard, to me, what they are trying to do is to enforce the profession of the constitution, but to me it may likely be against fair airing. Because even if you go to court, you should be given a chance to come and explain why you should go to contrary to the profession of what should take the party to court. And I'm also aware that in that particular section, article 1, they talk about the issue of fair airing. So, in other words, if you have done anything contrary to what is contained in the constitution of the party, the automatic expulsion used in that article I think is too much, it should be, there should be a room for fair airing. It should be able to hear you and then if you're not satisfied with your skills, then you can, and unfortunately, again, I've looked through the APC constitution, I've not seen specifically the internal mechanism stated in that constitution. Maybe it's another document there. Maybe it's a gentleman's agreement? Maybe, probably. I've looked through the entire constitution, I've not been able to see the actual mechanism put in place to resolve issues like that. Now, remember the Booni situation and the court's case that still allowed for him to be governor and still seat as an executive of the party. I remember Fesas Keamol at that same point saying that these issues should be addressed. If not, the party will be open to litigations and here we are. These litigations are happening and the party is responding by expulsion. 41 people already out in Inugu and, of course, we do not know how many more might have to leave. Let's also not forget that the APC is eyeing the Southeast. The president just, you know, left in more state recently. So, of course, the Southeast is part of the play that the APC is trying to make come 2023. If they're losing these many people, we can actually quickly guess where these people are going to. So once again, the internal party mechanisms may not necessarily be working in the interests of the party. Yeah, but you can't ignore what's it called, the laid down rules and regulation on the order of we want to win the election. That's why we're not growing in this country. Sometimes we allow sentiment to override our position. In other words, we want to ignore the clear laid down provision of the law. And in the interest of, if we do this, we may not be able to win this. We may not be able to get this. We may not be able to get that. We now condone and thereafter we'll be complaining. I think if you are a member of a party and they are a clear provision of your constitution, you need to follow the constitution. If you fail to follow, you are, you are, you are, they will be at liberty to punish you and apply the appropriate punishment for your acts. But what I'm trying to say is that look, even any provision of the constitution, we take away your fundamental right of fear and that constitution to an extent to me will not be, it's not, it's not, it's not justifiable. Because even in the constitution to section R22 of the APC constitution, they said this constitution, the party constitution is supreme. Subjects to the provision of the constitution of the Republic of Nigeria. And section 36 of the constitution of the Republic of Nigeria and section 35 provide for fear earning of an individual. So if you say, I can't go to court if I have a griff. Yes, you said they must exploit the internal mechanism. If that internal mechanism will not give me what I'm looking for, in other words, there's an emergency which I need to get addressed or I need to get something to remedy what will happen. So those are the, they have to also consider that. But looking at the further look, people will move. This is a time for people to move from one party to another. Everybody, we have people in policies today in this country who are not there for anybody's interest. They are just using the party as a mechanism to get what they are looking for. And that's why we are having people moving from one particular party to the other. Let me, let me go to Adewale. Adewale, can you hear me? Yeah, I'm with you. Great. Let's examine what's going on within the APC now. I mean, we know that the two major political parties are experiencing, you know, some, some sorts of shake up. But looking at the trail of, you know, what's been happening in the APC with the Booni issue. And, you know, he, he's still sitting there and all of the cracks within the party. We saw what the congresses and the local government congresses came to. There's still factions whose children do not agree with the outcome of that congress. And October, or rather, I think so, October 1, we're going to have the state congresses across the country for the APC. And if the issues in the local government have not been addressed, who's to say that the state congresses will go smoothly? Thank you very much. Barry Tarb, the land meet. I just want to salute you once again, my good friend. I'm Barry Tarb. Thank you. See, he said something categorical. The party has a competition, but the constitution is not supreme to the constitution of the country. But now, you know, at a cereal like this in the history of the nation, this is when you see sheep jumping. Politicians are meant at this period by our primordial sentiment to be jumping party, moving from one place to the other. And there are conditions preceded to that. Misbehaviour, act of disloyalty, an open show of shame or disgrace to one's party automatically expels a party man. So, like I have quoted the constitution, a section of the constitution the article he mentioned very, very good. But like I said some time ago, in as much as it is not a criminal issue, there might be no contention with any part of the content of the nation's constitution. A party constitution would go ahead to deal with weather, as long as the petting hairs. That is one. Number two, the issue of sheep jumping. See, a lot of people deliberately would misbeen now because they want to move or they are calling attention of the party. The president was in the East a while ago and you know particularly something is going to happen in Anambra. So, it's a foreplay to seeking a way of mean of winning Anambra to APC. So, APC party men in Anambra have an opportunity to misbehave, so to say. So, have to attract the attention of the party at the centre. So, have to call it one of two things to mean to become residents. So, some of the behaviours now that may be logically here, they may be literally misbeen. I think to me or by me are deliberate acts of behaviours trying to inspire that expression because people want to jump sheep. Thank you very much. Now, I just want to take your attention back because I asked about the local government congresses and of course the state congresses that are coming up. Aside from the fact that you know people are trying to get attention, there are people who genuinely feel that they who are aggrieved as to how certain things have been done within the party and they feel that they deserve for hearing. I remember when the party also said they were dealing with their issues internally. But if those issues seem to keep continuously raising its ugly head, again I ask, what would be the fate of the state congresses come October the second? No, I don't expect them to do anything substantially different. They would in all forms and all tendencies support the mode of the party. It is however at the party man that falls off that ship that will be thrown off into the ocean. Do you understand? Yes. Inasmuch as the quality is becoming worse and the sentiment is becoming right, the party through its effects is only deboning issue. Though while being here as an executive and on the other side at the same time it should uphold the integrity and the dignity of the party. But if by any act any party man appears to be anti-party the party will work against him. Then wherever it is within the party and holding up an eye the flag of the party will definitely defend what the party wants done. Let me come back to Yutunji. He's made very interesting points at what the party is going to do going forward. But we also saw I remembered this issue started when they started the re-registration of party members. We saw what happened in Quarae States as we still speak. There are three big wigs in Quarae States that are still at loggerheads. We have the minister for information. We have the governor and we also have the the sister of the former speaker. Jimmy Salasari. You know, Jimmy Salasari. And all of these people are obviously fighting for some form of superiority. And we see the same in different other states. We also see Akiti State also has some issues within the state. And there are also factions who are saying, well, we we reside with this person and this is the person we're going to support. I remember there's a group that supports the former governor of Lagos who also feel that they have been sidelined. And so it makes me really wonder and bother about how this issue of zoning because the APC is not really open to zoning as the PDP. They also they have different ways of dealing with the issue of candidature. How do we see all of this playing out? Come the National Congress in itself because we're gradually gearing up to it. By November, we'll start seeing a lot of a lot more drama. Yes, you will see a lot more drama because you see these look at government, what congresses and whatever at the basic foundation for you to achieve whatever you want to achieve at the national level. People are eager to or there are a lot of controversies getting this look at government because that is the area anybody who is able to get out of those what congresses, look at government, congresses or state government is, will have a chance of controlling the party in it. So in other words, what he's fighting about control of the party. So who wants to control the party? How do you control the party? In my state for instance now in Kuala state, like you said, there are more than three in the APC. There are so many tendencies. They are all the same. Although the two of them are partially together leaving the government as a woman standing. So as I'm talking to you, we have two party sectorates in the APC in Kuala state. One by Limey Meydanco then one by the governor. The former chairman Bolaniwa is apparently in court against the national chairman of the APC. He wants him to be removed that is not properly there. I also have a vision for that and he said gondol, what's it called? Keddo of compiler for APC. He may likely affect APC in the future if the APC is not taken. So I think the issue of congress is if it's not properly taken care of it, we'll rub on what happened at the national. Finally, Adelaw, because we are out of time so you have the last word on this one. The same issue that he's talking about in a kitty is the same that's happening in River State. Let's not forget the honorable minister of transportation and the factional leader of the APC Senator Magnus Abe are also facing the same situation that there's a faction of the party that is under Senator Magnus Abe who feels marginalized and then of course the minister's faction who also say that they're the legal drivers of the party. So we have seen several parallel primaries of congresses take place in River State these are very important key states for the APC so what does the future hold in closing? Thank you very much. Like I said earlier the cost of the season now the quality is heating up and so many things are coming up. So like you have just highlighted the booni and so many other issues are expected because people seek relevance and you know internal cracks on the walls of the party have been existing before now but you know because we are too close to the tollgate of the next election attention must drift towards that and like I said at all times and for all purposes the party in order to we told influence and control will flush whoever does not uphold the integrity of the party out while at the expense of losing more of its members well I think that question is for the APC to answer Tunjad Dholamid is a legal practitioner and Adeymaola is a political analyst thank you very much gentlemen for being part of this conversation thank you very much all right we will take a short break to hear what Nigerians have to say about their safety in this country and when we return I'll say my goodbyes I believe being safe in this nation now depends on you yourself because if you are talking about the government the government is trying their own ability but personally we need to intensify more effort on our own personal security in terms of you being in your house make sure your house is safe in terms of the locks and apart from that we are all security men to ourselves what I mean by that is each person should be a neighborhood watch to himself and to his community the way we are feeling this Nigeria today is we are in God and we are God help us so we cannot say about the safe the way Nigeria is going now no safe for Nigeria Nigeria since everything are very hard even though soldiers are suffering in Medjugorit for how long some women their husband are dying they are without you be a widow is not a good thing now we are not feeling safe even though these legos we are high every time clean up and clean up so for most of us children I don't see that we are saving this country when I go out and I see the mass movement of people across board from the north east to the north west to the south west to the south east if it's the mass movement of people on the road I wonder if it's true that we are facing insecurity in this country so I cannot really I can put it in between fine critically some places are in terrible security situation while some places are very very safe so like legos for instance legos is very very safe there is no issue of insecurity abounding here in legos unlike what we hear in the news every day but the more we hear it we have counter proposals that are coming back against against whatever you are talking about insecurity in the nation so to me I stand in between I can't really say whether the country is safe or the country is not well I want to thank you all for being part of the show tonight let's keep keeping positive news on our radar of course the negative news will always be there but let's also try to project the positivity in Nigeria I am Mary Anna Cohn and I will see you tomorrow have a good evening