-INEC Spokesman Kayode Idowu Threatens to Sue Thisday for Falsehood
THE bizarre strife on the original ownership of the intellectual property on the APC acronym took a more absurd twist on Thursday as a hitherto unknown group, All Patriotic Citizens, sprang from the blues to challenge both All Progressives Congress and the African Peoples Congress on who first breasted the tape in authenticating its existence to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The discouraging intrigue over existential strategy strangely continued to play out even as the spokesman for the chairman of the electoral commission, Mr. Kayode Idowu, denied knowledge of the statement originally credited to him on which group first approached the electoral umpire for official recognition.
Mr. Idowu is threatening legal action against Thisday newspaper for falsifying the claim that he was the one who lightened the rod which has now degenerated into the verbal and legal jibes being thrown at him, his boss, Professor Attahiru Jega and the Independent National Electoral Commission as a “non-credible willing tool” of the ruling party to tinker with future elections.
Idowu, a senior national editor on sabbatical leave of absence presently, to assist in rejuvenating INEC, said that in wrongly ascribing words to him as Thisday’s source over the matter, he wanted a detailed retraction and apology to the Independent National Electoral Commission, his boss and himself.
The Commission’s spokesman is not also ruling out the possibility of legal action to establish his innocence on the saga, saying that he was left with no option as Thisday and its reporter frustrated every move made to correct misrepresentations contained in the original copy which quoted him as saying that African Peoples Congress was the first to signify its intention to use the APC acronym.
But former foreign affairs minister, Mr. Tom Ikimi, berated the Commission for trying to short-cghange a credile political gngagement amongst vested groups at ajoin press conference with Ibrahim Shakarau and other members of the merger committee of the best known APC, saying there was no going back on its decision to register the party and accused the other groups of just ???? off.
The latest developments occurred as the African People’s Congress on Thursday unveiled its logo, acronym and emblem, introduced by Onyinye Ikeagwuonu, whom the party introduced as its acting-chairman.
Ikeagwuonu said that the emblem of the association would be a blazing sun (white hot) on a red square background.
“ The slogan of the party shall be APC: ‘New Nigeria, Great Africa’, while the party flag shall be a red flag with the APC white sun logo imprinted in centre of the flag,” he said.
According to Ikeagwuonu, “the major objective of the party is centered on the people, to reclaim our crumbling institutions and failing nation, and to give Nigerians reasons to believe again.”
“Today, Nigerians have a party that is committed to rebuilding Nigeria.”
The acting national chairman said that “poverty of leadership” had been the problem of Nigeria since 1999.
The legal adviser to the party denied that his party had any links to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, saying “my party has no link with PDP, in fact, our intention is to take over power from the ruling party.
“If PDP is ruling well, there would have been no need for APC to come up and we are out because PDP has failed to touch the lives of Nigerians.”