Withdrawal Letter: APC Stakeholders Warn Adamu Against Arm-twisting Tactics

ABUJA - Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have cautioned the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to be wary of the arm-twisting tactics adopted against aspirants paying for the party’s forms to contest in the 2023 general election.

The stakeholders under the auspices of APC Rebirth Group asked the party’s national chairman to review some of the forms accompanying the nomination and expression of interest forms being procured by the APC aspirants ahead of the party’s primaries.

Convener of the group, Engr. Aliyu Audu, specifically noted that one of the forms, form 18, being a ‘withdrawal letter,’ which aspirants are reportedly being ordered to fill and endorse, infringes on their rights and freedom to pursue their legitimate aspirations without any coercion.

Audu noted that the form 18 which dubiously compel aspirants’ to voluntarily withdraw from primaries is tacit coercion and violation of the freedom of aspirants to freely decide on their own.

In a state issued yesterday in Abuja, the APC stakeholders said, “At what point, for instance, would the party activate the signed form of withdrawal by aspirants? Anticipated withdrawal from an election that has not yet been conducted, such as the one being solicited via form 18, would not give aspirants the needed confidence in the process, and the party would do well not to give the impression that it is working to suppress the rights of members to fair and transparent contest.

The APC Rebirth Group appealed to the party leadership to be deliberate, transparent, firm and just in order to ensure free, fair, credible, and rancor-free primaries to prevent or reduce possible ligations afterward.