The All Progressives Congress, APC, has quashed the suspension of its legal adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN, by the party’s executive committee of his Mushin local government area in Lagos.
The Mushin party executive committee allegedly backed by the state government and state chapter of the APC had on Thursday announced the suspension of Dr. Banire for alleged anti-party activities during last week’s local government elections. It said the suspension followed a recommendation by his ward (Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin).
According to the Acting Secretary of the Ward, Taofeek Ajani-Balogun, the decision to suspend Banire from the party was reached during the ward meeting held to review the Local Government elections in the Ward.
“After a critical assessment of individual activities and the performance of the party during the last elections, members of the party in Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin unanimously voted for the immediate suspension of Banire from participating in party activities in the Ward and his removal from office as National Legal Adviser.”
But in a statement from the APC’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said only the National Executive Committee has the power to suspend a national officer.
“The attention of the National Working Committee, NWC of APC had been drawn to the purported suspension of the Party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) by the Party’s executive committee in Mushin Local government area.
“We wish to state categorically that the purported suspension is a nullity as the local chapter of the Party does not have such powers to suspend a national officer. According to the Party’s constitution, such powers reside with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party.”
The statement said “whatever issues there might be, the Party structure and constitution provide ample avenues for redress and dispute resolution.
“If the local chapter is unable to achieve a resolution, the NWC can and will wade into the matter to achieve amicable settlement,” the statement added.