Withdraw All Court Cases Or Be Sanctioned – APC Tells Members
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the actions of some of its members who have resorted to litigation as a way of addressing their perceived grievances and disputation without exhausting the party’s dispute resolution mechanism.
APC National Working Committee (NWC) stated this in a statement on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu.
It described the growing trend of such action a ‘manifest indiscipline’, noting that the party considered it as an anti-party activity which goes against its constitution.
“For emphasis, according to Article 20, Subsection 10 of our party’s Constitution, offences against the party include: ‘Filing an action in a court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting all avenues for redress provided for in this Constitution,” it stated.
The NWC revealed that it has resolved to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members, stressing that their action was capable of undermining the APC and hurt the party’s interest.
“We hereby strongly advise such members to withdraw all court cases, while approaching the appropriate party organs with a view to resolving any outstanding disputes.
“In addition to this, aggrieved members are urged to take full advantage of the reconciliation committees the party has just put in place. APC members should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it is not a matter of choice to keep to the rules,” the statement added.
The NWC, therefore, advised such members to take its warning very seriously, saying failure to comply with the party’s dispute resolution procedures would be met with the stipulated disciplinary actions.