The embattled deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has indicated he would not appear before a disciplinary panel set up to investigate him.
Speaking in Abuja, while responding to questions from reporters, Frank described the Solomon Edoja-led committee as a ‘kangaroo panel’, saying he would neither be intimidated nor frustrated out of the party.
The leadership of the party had on Wednesday set up a five-man disciplinary team to investigate a petition against him by a member of the party from Akwa Ibom State.
Frank said: “I am not aware of any committee. Up till now, I have not been served any notice or any letter at all. And again, if that is true, I am still waiting to receive invitation from the panel. I do not know who set up that committee whether it was a committee that was approved by the entire party structure or by Oyegun alone. The names of the committee members are not known to me.
“I will not be intimidated by anyone in this party. I am a Nigerian. I am a loyal party member. I believe in this party. I have hope in this party, and I will do everything I can to save it because, as at today, the party, under Oyegun, is in a total mess.
“There are so many party members who know the truth. There are so many NWC members that disagree with the chairman, not because they love Timi Frank, but because they know the truth, because in an unjust society, silence is a crime.
On the soon-to-be announced appointment of a former Sports minister, Bolaji Abdullahi as Acting Publicity Secretary of the party, Frank said while he belongs to the same camp with Abdullahi, the right procedure has to be followed in making such appointments.
“They said they want to appoint my brother and friend as spokesman of the party, and I am happy about that, but they should follow the process because it is only the national convention of the party that can make such appointment. How can you appoint an acting publicity secretary when you have a deputy national publicity secretary?
“I want to remind Oyegun not to run the party as a ministry. This is not the time when he worked as a permanent secretary. This is a political party. He cannot hire and fire at will. Why is it only my office that they want to appoint an acting spokesman”, he queried.
According to him, the offices of National Welfare Officer, National Vice Chairman North East, and now Deputy National Secretary who was recently appointed as ambassador are vacant, wondering why the Odigie-Oyegun led leadership of the party should concern itself only with the vacant office of the National Publicity Secretary.
Frank recalled how Julius Malema of the African National Congress, ANC suffered a similar fate in South Africa, saying he has the capacity to become another Malema if he is suspended.
“So I do not want us to find ourselves in the same scenario that ANC has found itself where Malema is now the bigger opposition. This is not a personal fight, but a fight to entrench internal democracy in the party”.
Frank maintained that the president knows what is happening in the party “and that is why he is running his affairs the way he wants it without allowing the party to drive any of his policies”.
Meanwhile, the National Committee of Yoruba Youths (NCYY) warned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress APC against suspending Comrade Timi Frank, saying such action could backfire.
In a statement made available to newsmen Thursday in Abuja, President of the group, Oladimeji Olayemi said the party should rather work towards solving all its internal disputes in order to be able to promptly deliver on her mandate to Nigerians.
“We, by this statement call on Chief Oyegun and this cabal to immediately put an end to the continuous blackmails, harassment and intimidation of Comrade Timi Frank.
“We wish to inform Nigerians, APC party faithful across the nation and particularly all peace and fact-seeking ones that there is no established legal or political precedent for the charade that Chief Oyegun and this cabal are currently planning to embark upon by stampeding an elected party official from his duty post through illegality and incitement”, the group stated.
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