Chairman of the Diaspora Chairmen’s Committee (CDC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Adesegun Labinjo, has said the diaspora branches maintain harmonious relations with the party.
Labinjo said in a statement on Thursday that the APC Diaspora chapter has been supporting the party and its leadership for over 13 years.
In a statement released on October 31 and signed by spokesperson Felix Molka, the APC redesigned its diaspora chapters as “support groups or associations.”
The party directed all branches of the diaspora to change their names to reflect their status as support groups or organizations.
Labinjo said there was no need to re-designate all diaspora branches as support groups or associations, adding: “Throughout the last few years, these branches have been consistently recognized as diaspora branches of the party.
“This has been demonstrated through well-attended events and conferences held in Chicago in 2013 and in New York in 2015, which also included visiting party officials from Nigeria.”
He said the diaspora played a vital role during and after the election of President Bola Tinubu by investing significant time, energy and resources in campaigning for and celebrating the president’s victory.
He said members of the party’s diaspora branches were also well represented at Tinubu’s inauguration.
Mr. Labinjo noted that the National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashir, and the National Organizing Secretary, Dr. Suleiman Argungu, have been interacting with members of the party’s diaspora branches and recognizing them as branches.
“A video dated June 29, 2024 shows Senator Bashir proudly declaring the group as the APC British Diaspora Chapter, exercising his “authority” as the party’s national secretary. I’m sure he didn’t see them as a support group. So what has changed?
“Due to these actions which have caused great embarrassment to the party, the APC CDC demands the immediate resignation of Mr. Bashir and Mr. Argungu. If they refuse, we urge the NWC to remove them from their positions. .
“Our party deserves a leader who promotes unity, not one who divides and tarnishes the image of the party, especially among its members in the diaspora.”
He said that during an emergency meeting in New York, the CDC chairs expressed the need to remove Bashir and Argungu due to several violations and unwarranted interference in the diaspora branch, which is against the party’s constitution. .
“Therefore, it is disingenuous and misleading to read the press release of Mr. Felix Morca, who misrepresented his knowledge of the existence of the party’s diaspora branch,” Labinjo said.
He said the move to disband diaspora chapters in favor of groups and associations was disrespectful and a departure from the high standards upheld by the party.
