National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, has said his leadership inherited N7.5 billion debts on legal fees alone when he took over the affairs of the party.
Adamu was reacting to reports that he replaced some suspended directors in charge of the various departments of the party’s national secretariat without consultation.
Adamu had on April 22, shortly after assuming office, directed all departmental directors at the party’s national secretariat to proceed on indefinite suspension over allegations of corruption.
According to him, the suspension and subsequent replacement of the directors was part of the cleansing process to get rid of the mess at the APC headquarters.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja yesterday, Adamu said, “Every change will have victims and we can say that we did not do anything with bias. Some people will feel offended but all we have done is in the best interest of the party. When we came in we met N7.5bn on legal fees alone, no control or due process.
“There were more than 200 staff on the payroll and during the audit we had to query where these number of people work. They went to the media that we can’t pay salary of staff just to blackmail us.”
The national chairman also disclosed that all the presidential aspirants who contested the party’s presidential ticket were fully in support of the presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, after his emergence as the party’s standard bearer.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan; the former minister of transport among others had contested the APC presidential ticket ‘ against the former Lagos State governor.
Adamu implored journalists to approach the presidential aspirants to verify directly from them, adding that his leadership has embarked on reconciling the aggrieved party chieftains across the country.
He noted: “To the best of our knowledge they are (supporting Tinubu). One thing which the fourth estate of the realm owe as a duty is that each of the aspirants for the presidency of this country that presented themselves during the June convention of the party are still alive.
“I don’t see any reason why you have not taken the initiative having observed or having the state of mind to know where do they stand today, none of you have any restrictions to meeting any of these candidates.
“It is not for me to observe, to start talking for them. If you notice anything that is not the normal, or you want something from them that you have not seen, nothing stops you from talking to any of them.
“As for reconciliation, it is a work in progress. We have been doing that; we have been talking to them individually. They are always around in the political space. You can always meet them and ask whatever your curiosity or anxiety is. Go to them and see what they tell you.”
