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APC cautions members against unnecessary protests
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned its members against unnecessary protests, contrary to its Constitution.
Mr Nze Duru, the APC Deputy National Organizing Secretary, said this on Thursday in Abuja while reacting to a protest by some individuals who claimed to be the APC North Central stakeholders, demanding the resignation of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as the party’s National Chairman.
The protesters chanted solidarity songs and displayed banners reading ‘Return APC National Chairmanship to North Central’ and ‘Dr Ganduje, kindly resign., said the position was zoned to their region.
They said the seat, previously occupied by Dr Abdullahi Adamu be returned to the North Central.
NAN reports that few minutes into their protest, the procession was scuttled by suspected hoodlums who swamped on the aggrieved protesters, making them to flew in different directions.
Duru, while reacting to the development, said the protesters were probably not aware of the new arrangement reached at party’s last National Executive Committee (NEC)at its last meeting.
He said that the NEC which was the party’s highest organ had moved the office of the national chairman previously held by the North Central, to North West while the office of legal adviser was re-zoned to North Central.
He said the decision was reached before Ganduje emerged as the APC national chairman in 2023.
“I am not aware of the so-called agitation for the resignation of the national chairman by North Central people, but I am aware that at the last NEC.meeting.
“The party took a decision that assumed the power of a convention, which the party’s Constitution allows to do in circumstances such as this to re-basket and re-zone the national offices.
“That is very important, so if the claim is that it is illegal and that the office of the national chairman should be resident in North Central.
“The only conclusion one can make is that such a claim is hinged on a very faulty foundation.
“To stretch that argument further, the necessary steps to take toward suspending a candidate or removing a candidate are already enshrined in the party’s constitution,” Duru said.
He added that one of such steps was not by an amorphous group to come together to demand the resignation of the party’s national chairman.
The APC Deputy National Organising Secretary said steps to be taken in such situations were already in the party’s Constitution.
“And we urge this group, if at all they are our members, to go through the party’s Constitution and advise themselves accordingly,” he said.
Malam Aamisu Suleiman, Plateau State Coordinator of the North Central APC stakeholders while addressing journalists after they reconvened a few blocks away from the party’s secretariat, said they would not be deterred until justice was served.
“We came here only to be attacked by some sponsored thugs, they did not only beat us, they stripped us of our banners and drove our people away from the APC secretariat.
“Today, we are here to protest the unfair treatment meted out to people of the North Central, this is because the national chairmanship of the APC was mistakenly given to Ganduje.
“We are therefore calling on President Bola Tinubu to correct the anomaly,we know he will listen to us, the APC chairmanship position is supposed to be zoned according to its Constitution to the North Central.
“And the same Constitution confers the position on us, unfortunately, it was zoned to the North West and we will not accept it,we are here for justice and justice must be served,” he said.
Also speaking, Sani Jigas, who identified himself as the Nasarawa State chairman of APC North Central Forum, appealed to governors in the zone to mount pressure on the president during their planned stakeholders meeting slated for Saturday.
“This is our mandate. It is well known to everybody that there is a consensus at the national convention that the APC chairmanship position should be zoned to the North Central,we are still agitating for that.
“We are not afraid of thugs, we will remain here until justice is done,” he said, adding that governors and stakeholders from the region should intervene in the issue in their forthcoming meeting.
He appealed to President Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, to help influence the process of a peaceful transition of the party chairmanship seat back to their region.(NAN)
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts. The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.
Violent clashes between pastoralist groups and settled farming communities have long been a challenge in South Sudan.
However, the recent outbreak of violence in the northern Ruweng Administrative Area has further heightened concerns over the nation’s fragile peace. At least 30 people lost their lives after an armed youth group launched a brutal attack on a northern South Sudanese town, according to local officials.
The incident, linked to an escalating cattle raid, saw the town briefly fall under the control of the attackers before security forces regained control.
The violence began when a group of armed youth stole lambs earlier in the week. Security forces quickly intervened, forcing the raiders to retreat. However, instead of dispersing, the group reorganised and launched a more aggressive attack on Abiemnom the following day.
Local Minister of Information, Simon Chol Mialith, confirmed that despite resistance from local youth and security personnel, the town was overrun by the Mayom armed youth. The attack led to significant casualties and destruction before security forces were able to reclaim the town.
On Wednesday, the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) successfully pushed the attackers out, restoring a semblance of calm. However, the scale of the destruction was already severe, with over 40 individuals injured in addition to the fatalities.
Although reports suggest that some of the deceased were members of the armed groups, official confirmation remains pending.
The attack comes at a time of growing instability in South Sudan, with tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar intensifying. This political rivalry threatens to unravel the delicate 2018 peace agreement that ended the nation’s five-year civil war.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled with continuous unrest. Despite its vast oil resources, the country remains impoverished, with conflicts like these exacerbating economic and social difficulties.