Yakubu Busari
The All Progressives Congress (APC) aggrieved members that purchased the party forms to contest for the Exco have dissociated themselves from the shady deals of Hon Ishaya Itse kangaroo lies using them to extort money over the years.
The Group spokesperson, Hon.Sign.Innocent Maimagani Zhatau made this known in a press statement to our medium in Jos.
He said, “You could recall some time ago and recently, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), by the name, Ishaya Itse has ruffled not a few feathers in political circles with his sudden rehash of a matter long put to rest.
They accused him of using their names as a meal ticket to generate income for himself and his family at the detriment of them after signing off to withdraw the suit challenging Hon.Rufus Bature Exco.
“In a manner suggestive of his growing duplicitous character, fueled by the passion for pecuniary gains, the allegations are once again in pursuit of an agenda that has no relationship with the current goals and aspirations of the APC in Plateau State.
According to him, “In the build-up to the 2023 general elections, and in the face of the faulty process that produced the EXCO of the party, some of us, among whom was, of course, Ishaya Itse, took up the gauntlet to seek justice and fairness.
“Different mechanisms for the resolution of this matter were explored including, of course, through the agency of the courts. For the avoidance of doubt, the following aggrieved members of the APC have taken up the matter in the courts:
However, the following aggrieved include, Maimagani Zhatau and Garba Pankwal and others. Indeed, we had sought an order of court restraining the present EXCO of the APC in the state from presenting themselves as officials of the party pending the determination of the case by the High Court”, he said.
Zhatau stated that three years down the line, a lot has happened to change our direction on the matter and to make for its amicable resolution.
While the substance of our case has never been in doubt, and while we remained steadfast in the pursuit of our cause, it became clear that we were, unfortunately, not on the same page.
While the case subsisted, Ishaya Itse’s discreet actions impacted its integrity and altogether cast a shadow of doubt on its ultimate goal.
The man in question had surreptitiously negotiated the withdrawal of the case as recorded in suit no. PLD/J500/2021 before His Lordship, Justice S.P. Gang without due consultation with us as the aggrieved party.
While the group alleged Itse was pursuing his agenda, using this case for self-enrichment, and making himself an agent of destabilization, other aggrieved members of our party remained undaunted.
And now that we have finally decided to withdraw the case, after lengthy consultations and due consideration for the overall interest of the party, we are simply shocked that he ( Ishaya Itse) still claims that he has a case with the APC.
For someone who did everything to withdraw the case, including lying to our counsel; for someone who negotiated the withdrawal of the case and judgment was passed in his favor, which led to our appeal; for someone who was called names by our counsel for deceit and fraud, it remains to be seen how he has any case against the APC.
As preparations for the local government elections get underway in the state, there is no better way to understand his intentions of than to see him for who he truly is: a fraudster bent on cashing out on the confusion he intends to set in motion.
Unfortunately for him, it is rather too little, too late in the day. We call on all well-meaning citizens of Plateau State and especially, members of the APC to disregard the futile, wild goose chase being undertaken by this relentless purveyor of mischief.
We call on the leadership of the party to rein in this man who is being used by elements who stand to profit from his antics. Better still, we call on the leadership of the party to put in place the machinery to facilitate his exit from a party whose principles are clearly at variance with his personal, selfish agenda.
At the well-attended Lafia reconciliation and peace meeting, where praises and encomium were showered on the organizers of the forum, he left the hall rather sad and broken-hearted.
After his comments, the barrage of responses that followed did not portray him as a person of reputable integrity worthy to lead APC on the Plateau, because of his under-the-table dealing that was revealed by other prominent persons.
All hands are now on deck to reconcile all aggrieved members of APC and take the party to higher heights on the Plateau. We are calling on critical stakeholders to shade their swords and work for the betterment of the APC in the state since the case has been put to rest.
