Inuwa Abdul-kadir: Call the officials to order: HURIWA tells president Buhari:

The leading civil Rights advocacy group – HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has urged president Muhammadu Buhari to stop the reign of impunity and arbitrariness within the national and Sokoto state’s hierarchies of All Progressives Congress (APC) with specific reference to the clear breach of both the Nigerian constitution and the APC constitution in the purported ‘expulsion’ of the national vice chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN).

Besides, the Rights group has called the attention of president Buhari to the ongoing vicious clampdown and political witch hunt of All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in the 2019 election in Cross Rivers state Senator John Owan-Enoh by the Cross Rivers state governor Mr. Ben Ayade. HURIWA said inspite of the fact that it had petitioned the National Human Rights commission on the subject matter, the Cross Rivers State government has escalated his attacks against the APC chieftain using the machinery of the state's justice ministry of justice to frame up a tenuous murder charge against his opponent who is challenging his re-election before the Governorship Tribunal.

In a media statement issued by the national coordinator comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the national media affairs director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA accused the Sokoto state branch of APC and the national leadership of the party of gross illegality in the conspiracy to procure the removal of the national vice chairman of the party Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN) without following the due process of the law and by totally disrespecting a pending litigation on the same subject matter which is before the Sokoto state high court of justice. HURIWA accused the Sokoto state chapter of being manipulated to undertake these cocktails of illegality just as HURIWA wondered why the National Secretariat of the party has allowed itself to be railroaded into adopting a measure that offends section 6 and section 36(5) of the Constitution which are the judicial powers of the federation conferred on the courts of competent jurisdiction and also fair hearing for all citizens which is sacrosanct.

The Rights group has also accused the Sokoto state branch of APC of seeking to stampede the national vice chairman of APC out of the party over some unsubstantiated and vague petitions arising from the conduct of the governorship and presidential election in Sokoto state.

The Rights group averred that the originating petition by the member of Magajin Gari ‘A’ ward of APC in Sokoto state one Alhaji Naibi Umar Abubakar alleging certain anti-party activities against the national vice chairman (north west) Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir (SAN) was never heard by an unbiased panel given that the panel set up to look into the petition was made up of the ward chairman and secretary both of whom are interested parties just as the Rights group stated that the hasty and desperate decision in the announcement of the purported 'expulsion' of the National Vice Chairman (North West) was done in defiance of a subsisting litigation.

HURIWA recalled that the petition had alleged amongst others as follows: That since his election as the National Vice Chairman of the APC for North-West Inuwa Abdulkadir did not convene any zonal meeting of the APC in order to assess the fortunes of the party following defections to PDP of many party chieftains and members from the zone, Inuwa Abdulkadir did not attend or participate in the general stakeholders meeting of the State Chapter of APC where stakeholders discussed and considered the mode of Primary Elections to be adopted by State Chapter of APC during the concluded Primary Elections of the party; and Inuwa Abdulkadir despite being a delegate did not attend or participate in the Direct Presidential Primary election of the APC where President Muhammadu Buhari was elected as candidate of the APC for 2019 Presidential elections.

HURIWA recalled that fearing that the petition whose contents are totally false was meant to rope him in and push him out of the party, the national vice chairman – (Northwest) filed a suit against the party in the Sokoto state High court which was served on all the respondents including the All Progressives Congress just as it expressed shock that the party's acting national publicity secretary proceeded to announce the purported expulsion and later suspension of the National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Inuwa Abdul-Kadir in clear breach of a pending suit.

However, the Rights group has asked president Buhari to call the national secretariat of APC to order because it will be a great disservice to the principle of rule of law that arbitrariness is allowed to become the order of the day.

HURIWA argued that the Sokoto state branch of APC lacks the power to recommend the expulsion of a national officer elected at a national convention of the party just as the group condemned the national secretariat of the party for relying on a fictitious petition to reach a determination that is null and void at every material time.

Speaking about the Cross Rivers state governor’s witch hunt targeting the APC governorship candidate Senator John Owan-Enoh, the Rights group stated that it had earlier dragged governor Ayade to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over allegations of playing politics over the recent case of the gruesome killings of five members of both the People’s Democratic party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Bendeghe Ekiem community, Etung Local government Area Council of Cross Rivers State. HURIWA disclosed that the National Human Rights commission informed it that the governor has been asked to defend the petition.

HURIWA which condemns the killings of these citizens has also expressed shock and disappointment with the government of Cross Rivers State for selectively probing the remote and immediate cause of the dastardly killing of the two members of his political Party- the People’s Democratic party (PDP) but has maintained a shocking sense of insensitivity regarding the three other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who also reportedly lost their precious lives during the unfortunate fracass that reportedly resulted in the fatalities including the ward leader of the People’s Democratic party (PDP) Mr. Ayuk Ogar.

HURIWA said it told the Rights commission that it has watched with considerable shock and trepidation since over the last couple of months that this incident occurred to see how the state government will handle this and similar other clashes in Cross Rivers State but asserted that from all indications, it would seem that the Cross Rivers government has adopted a politically motivated approaches towards finding out the exact circumstances that occasioned the conflict just as the Rights group accused amorphous groups with links to the Governor for blackmailing the Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2019 governorship polls Senator John Owan Enoh and for spreading unsubstantiated innuendos and libelous allegations against him even when he is not remotely connected to the parley in Bendeghe Ekiem Community which led to the slaughtering of members of both the PDP and his own All Progressives Congress(APC).

The Rights group alleged that the Cross Rivers state governor has even escalated the political witch hunt against the APC governorship candidate by charging him to Cross Rivers state High Court in a suit with number HC/48C/2019 in Calabar alleging that he has a case to answer in the death of the two PDP members even as the state government is silent on the killings of the three members of the All Progressives Congress. It noted that nobody was charged for the murder of the three APC members.