Anayo Ezugwu 
Former National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muiz Banire (SAN) has said that the resignation of the National Chairman, Sena- tor Abdullahi Adamu and the National Secre- tary, Senator Iyiola Omi- sore is not supported by the constitution of the party. Speaking on the Channels Television programme, Politics Today yesterday, Banire said the party’s constitution never contemplated the resignation of any National Working Committee (NWC) member.
He said: “There is nowhere in the APC constitution that this situation is con- templated at all. As of today, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 recorded in oil and fat, bread and cereals, fish, potatoes, yam and other tubers , fruits, meat, vegetable, milk, cheese, and eggs. “The food inflation rate in June 2023 was 25.25 per cent on a year-on-year basis; this was 4.65 per cent points higher relative to the rate recorded in June 2022 (20.60%). The rise in Food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of Oil and fat, Bread and cereals, fish, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fruits, meat, vegetable, milk, cheese, and eggs.
“On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in June 2023 was 2.40 per cent, this was 0.21 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2023 (2.19%). “The average annual rate of Food inflation for the 12 months, ending June 2023 over the previous 22 months’ average was 24.03 per cent, this was 5.41 per cent points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in June 2022 (18.62%),” NBS explained.
Inflation on a year-on-year basis, according to NBS, was 4.19 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in June 2022, which was 18.60. per cent. This, it said, showed that the Headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in June 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (June 2022). Relatedly too, Urban inflation rate in June 2023 was 24.33 per cent. The figure was 5.23 per cent points higher compared to the 19.09 per cent recorded in June 2022. According to Ajayi- Kadir, MAN and other OPS members have been telling the previous government the strategies to take to tackle rising headline inflation.
According to him, the June headline inflation rate of 22.79, an increase of 0.38 per cent, is also an indication that the country’s economy is on the path of positive trajectory. Ajayi-Kadir said: “Our thoughts in MAN is that we think the fuel subsidy removal and the floating of the naira exchange rate will come with burdens, inflationary impact on the economy since we are used to high rising rates in the country.”
“We are very glad for this 0.38 per cent points. It shows that this current administration has been consistent about turning around the economy positively, based on the far reaching decisions taken so far, including declaring a state of emergency on food security and identified measures to check food inflation and guarantee price stability in the country,” the MAN DG added. On his part, Ruwase noted that a further skyrocketing inflation rate could have been catastrophic for the country’s fragile economy, especially for Nigerians and businesses. there is no provision for res- ignation in the APC constitu- tion. So, what has happened is somehow extraordinary. “That would now leave you with what happened immediately after the man resigned. Now we have the Deputy National Chairman (North) taking over the saddle, the only provision you can hide under is the powers of the Deputy National Chairman of north and south, which says: ‘That if the chairman is incapable of performing functions of his office or in his absence, any of the deputy national chair- men can act’.
“That is the only provision they can ride on now because there is no provision for situations such as resignation in the APC constitution. Who should the resignation be ad- dressed to and what will hap- pen, all these are the lacuna that exists in the current APC constitution.” Banire also dismissed the claim that President Bola Tinubu might be responsible for the resignation of the chairman, saying that the president would gain nothing with the resignation.
“There is nothing President Tinubu would gain from removing the chair- man from office because he did not support him at the initial stage. The reality of the situation in APC is that the President is the leader of the party. “So, there is nothing much even his stay would have impacted on the presi- dency. I would easily dis- count that but I believe that the issue of the NWC being unhappy would have led to his exit.
“It is possible that the president wants someone that is committed to his ideals and loyal to his objectives. But the reality of the matter is that I did not see the president’s involvement in this matter. If Adamu remains in office, there is hardly anything he can do in the absence of the president’s directive.
“You saw what happened throughout the right years of President Muhammadu Buhari, virtually all the deci- sions particularly during his second term were subjected to his final decision. And that still remains the situation up till now even within the context of the APC constitu- tion.”
