JUST IN: ADP overrules Kaduna chair on suspension of gov candidate

The National leadership of Action Democratic Party has overruled the embattled acting chairman of the party in Kaduna State, Umar Isah, over a purported suspension of its governorship candidate, Sani Sha’aban, from the party ahead of the March 18 governorship race.

The National Secretary of the ADP, Victor Fingesi, in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday, insisted that the acting chairman had no power to carry out such act when he was under suspension from the party, adding that “his press conference where he handed down suspension to the party’s candidate is illegal, null and void.”

The party noted that Sha’aban remains the bonafide ADP governorship candidate in the state and called on both supporters and members of the party to disregard Isah and support Sha’aban during the March 18 governorship election.

The statement read, “The attention of the National Secretariat of the Action Democratic Party has been drawn to the text of an illegal press conference addressed by the suspended Kaduna State Chairman of ADP, Hon. Umar Isah, wherein he lied that the party’s governorship candidate in the state, Hon. Sani Mahmud Shaaban, is suspended from the party.

“Hon. Sani Mahmud Shaaban who emerged as the ADP Kaduna State gubernatorial standard bearer at a duly constituted congress in line with the provision of the 2022 Electoral Act remains the ADP gubernatorial candidate for the March 18 governorship election in Kaduna State.

“The people of Kaduna State and supporters of our great party are therefore urged to discountenance and disregard Hon. Umar Isah’s ill-conceived unauthorised press conference in its entirety.

“They should come out on Saturday and vote massively for Hon. Sani Mahmud Shaaban as the next governor of Kaduna state just as they will vote in their state assembly candidates in the different constituencies of Kaduna State.”

Also, in a letter addressed to the suspended acting Chairman, the ADP reiterated that “You (Umar Isah) are no longer the chairman of the party in Kaduna State vide the letter dated 8th March, 2023. Hon. Sani Mahmud Shaaban is the bonafide ADP governorship candidate in Kaduna State.

“The National Secretariat of the party was utterly astonished reading the text of your press conference quoted above.

“The party’s national office has always availed you opportunity to present your queries yet you went berserk and acted as if you are an emperor, arrogating unto yourself the power to even sack the party’s governorship candidate.

“You are advised to, in your own interest, comply with the directives of your letter of suspension and desist from further progressing in the course you have chosen.You must hand over all the party possessions with you to the acting chairman immediately,” it added.