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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is not true that two of its prominent leaders, former Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and Chief Tom Ikimi, were on their way out of the party in protest of the outcome of last weekend’s national convention.
The duo was reported to have expressed discontent over the way the substantive national officers emerged during the party’s convention in Abuja, threatening to leave the party.
But THISDAY gathered that the point of disagreement between Sheriff and other power brokers in the party was his interest in heading the Board of Trustees (BoT) which would soon be constituted.
A source confirmed to THISDAY that the BoT positions had been shared out as part of the horse trading that went with the zoning of party offices before the just concluded convention.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, who reacted to the alleged move, said nothing known to the party leadership suggested that Ikimi and Sheriff were harboring any ill-feeling.
“That is mere speculation. They are strong men of our party, that will not be enough reason for them to leave the party, I can assure you.
“The leadership has already set in motion plans to reach out to all aggrieved persons. I know that the party chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, is busy reaching out to everybody,” he said.
An aide of Oyegun also confirmed that the chairman had been busy holding consultations to ensure that all aggrieved leaders are reached before the formal inauguration of the new executives.
When THISDAY tried to get Ikimi to comment on the matter yesterday, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs said he was disposed to discussing the issue.
He said he was still putting together a statement which would be made public at the appropriated time.
“I have told you I am not speaking on the issue now. I am working on a statement, when it is ready, I will let you know, “ he said.
Similarly, efforts made to get the former governor of Borno State to state his own position was not successful as his telephone line could not go through.
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