General News
APC Launches Probe into Alleged Diversion of Palliatives, Exonerates Dr. Mary Alile.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commenced an investigation to identify an alleged impostor accused of impersonating its National Woman Leader, Dr. Mary Idele Alile, in a purported scheme involving the diversion of palliatives and empowerment materials meant for women at the grassroots.
The party’s National Legal Adviser (NLA), Barrister Murtala Aliyu Kankia, is playing a central role in the legal response as efforts intensify to establish the identity of the alleged impersonator, determine the extent of the suspected fraud and identify those who may have facilitated the activities.
The controversy followed allegations that wrappers, food items and other empowerment materials allocated to women support groups in some parts of the country were diverted, repackaged and allegedly put up for sale in open markets instead of being distributed to their intended beneficiaries.
However, in a fresh clarification, Ambassador Aisha Abdullahi Hudu of the APC Women Support Group Directorate has firmly dissociated Dr. Alile from the allegations, maintaining that the person implicated was not the recognised National Woman Leader but an alleged impostor who operated using her identity.
Hudu also identified Dr. Alile as the Director of the PCC Women Mobilisation Directorate for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
She emphasised that the party’s National Woman Leader should not be held accountable for the alleged actions of an individual accused of deliberately impersonating her.
She further insisted that allegations concerning the diversion of palliatives, the movement of materials to Edo State and the alleged sale of empowerment items should not be associated with Dr. Alile, whom she described as having performed her duties as National Woman Leader creditably over the years.
According to her, the clarification was necessary to protect the reputation of the APC women leadership and prevent alleged identity-related deception from weakening the party’s grassroots mobilisation structures.
As the controversy takes on a potentially legal dimension, the office of the National Legal Adviser, Barrister Kankia, is expected to play a significant role in determining the appropriate legal steps while the party investigates the circumstances surrounding the allegations.
The investigation is expected to uncover the identity of the alleged impostor, establish whether party resources and intended beneficiaries were defrauded, and identify possible accomplices involved in the alleged diversion or unauthorised sale of the materials.
The APC disclosed that measures were already being taken at its National Secretariat in Abuja to investigate the matter and establish the facts surrounding the allegations.
The party also indicated that anyone found culpable could be handed over to the relevant security agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution in accordance with the law.
The development has raised concerns over the vulnerability of party empowerment programmes to impersonation, exploitation and the possible diversion of resources meant for women at the grassroots.
For the APC, the immediate task is not only to identify the alleged impostor but also to protect the credibility of its women leadership, safeguard party resources and ensure that empowerment materials reach the legitimate beneficiaries for whom they were provided.
As the investigation progresses, attention is expected to turn to the party’s legal leadership under Barrister Kankia and its ability to ensure accountability without allowing the allegations to unfairly tarnish the reputation of recognised party officials.