The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has disclosed that corruption was widespread in the system under Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee was too high.
Adamu made the disclosure during an interactive session with newsmen at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
Adamu said he inherited N7.5bn debt from the Buni-led caretaker committee.
On why directors of various departments at the APC headquarters were sacked, Adamu said the level of corruption in the system they worked in was too high.
Recall that Adamu had replaced the directors he earlier suspended.
Adamu had, on April 22, ordered all departmental directors at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja to proceed on indefinite suspension over allegations of corruption.
They are; Elder Anietie Offong (Director, Welfare); Bartholomew I. Ugwoke (Research); Abubakar Suleiman (Finance); Dr Suleiman Abubakar (Administration); Salisu Na’inna Dambatta (Publicity); and Dare Oketade, Head, Legal.
On assumption of office on April 1, Adamu set up a transition committee headed by a former governor of Jigawa State, Ali Saad Birnin Kudu, to study the handing over notes of the then Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee led by Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni and other issues affecting the party.
Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State said; “We came in here to reorganise and reposition the party. We came and met the party in a state of mess and just because you want to be decent; because you don’t want to offend anybody you will continue with the mess you met?
“We came and met a party where people were fixing all manner of things. We had a bill of about N7.5bn to settle. We came to find that here everybody was like on his own; everybody was doing what they wanted to do. No control, no system, no due process and just because you don’t want to be accused of anything, you will just allow that to go? No, I am not in that brand; my DNA has a terrible allergy to that.
“And I am sure all of my members in the NWC share in this. So we found the necessity to reorganise the entire place and we didn’t do anything with any bias or prejudices on our part. We will be abused, we will be accused but we are humans. I am not saying we don’t make mistakes.
“Recently, we tried to introduce table payment and you know we don’t have 200 people working for us here, but go to the payroll, you will see over 200 people. Where are they? What are they doing for us? Where are their letters of appointment?” he queried.
He said that the NWC is still finding its altitude seven months after the assumption of office.
“This is our seven month in office, we are still finding our altitude,” he said.
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