Fresh crisis hits IPAC as ex-chair heads for court over election

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has criticised the previous National Chairman, Yabagi Yusuf Sani, for suing the new leadership of the organisation. This comes after Sani first congratulated the winners following the December 18 election, in which he lost his attempt for a second term to Yusuf Mamman Dantalle.

According to Daily Trust, Dantalle, a former National Secretary of the organisation, received 10 votes compared to Sani’s eight votes, with one vote being invalidated. As a result, Sani accepted his defeat and congratulated Dantalle, and they publicly embraced one other.

Nonetheless, during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Alex Maiyanga, the National Organising Secretary of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), spoke on behalf of Sani and stated that he had unequivocally rejected the result of the procedure.

According to him, the election that resulted in Dantalle becoming the new IPAC Chairman was marred by several anomalies.

“Upon initial observation, the outcome appeared to be just and legitimate, prompting Sani to graciously congratulate Dantalle on his triumph,” he stated.

In response to the events that occurred on Wednesday, Dantalle expressed disapproval through a statement issued by the recently elected National Publicity Secretary, Chinyere Ogekalu. Dantalle criticised Sani for displaying anti-democratic behaviour and being a sore loser.

As per her account, on December 12, certain progressive party leaders opposed Sani’s effort to extend his time in office beyond the end of his term on December 13.

“We are not astonished by his utilisation of his political party’s platform, where he holds positions such as national chairman, NWC, NEC, and BOT. How else can we interpret the fact that an official press statement from his party was signed by Dr. Alex Maiyanga, who is not the designated spokesperson and has a completely different job description as stated in his portfolio?

“Nevertheless, to defend those who opposed him and to advance his desperate agenda, Yabagi Sani sought legal action on 28 December 2023 to obtain a court order halting the installation of the recently elected IPAC National Executives. Simultaneously, the court instructed the existing IPAC Executives to continue managing the Council’s affairs until the lawsuit is resolved.