APC Crisis: CECPC Committe Awaits Outcome Of Buhari’s London Meeting With Malami, Others

Top leaders, governors and members of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the London consultations between President Muhammadu Buhari and some of his close allies on the leadership crisis rocking the party.

Apart from the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), other key functionaries of the government in London, according to reports yesterday, were the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Aviation Senator Hadi Sirika and a close ally, Farouk Adamu Aliyu.

The Chairman of the CECPC and governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, was also in London. He left the United Arab Emirates where he went for medical treatment last week for London on Thursday.

It was learnt that Buhari may soon break the ice in the APC by issuing a clear-cut directive.

Buni, sources said, is highly optimistic that he would return to office as Chairman of the CECPC upon his return to Nigeria latest Monday.

His confidence was said to be buoyed by the letter of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to APC CECPC warning against violating the laws and Electoral Act 2022. INEC said in the letter that it recognises Buni as the party’s chairman and that it must be given 21 -day notice for it to recognise a new leadership.

It was not clear last night what  Buhari and his key allies have agreed as the way forward for the party. Nonetheless, party chiefs who spoke with THE NATION yesterday in Abuja said they would abide by whatever decision Buhari as the leader of the party comes up with.

A top source said: “As it stands now in APC, President Buhari holds the ace. Both Buni’s camp and the group backing Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, who on Monday announced himself as acting chairman of the CECPC on the directive of the Presdent, are awaiting the outcome of the London meeting.

“Whatever is the directive of the President, all leaders, governors and Caretaker Committee members will comply.

“I can tell you that there is anxiety in both camps because Buhari’s position will determine the way forward for the APC.”

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A Buni loyalist said: “He has completed his medicals. He will return this weekend and resume duties as the National Chairman of APC.

“Governors loyal to Buni are busy coordinating a reception for him to prove that he is still the chairman of APC.”

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State broke the news of the purported removal of Buni on Wednesday, citing certain actions and inactions of the CECPC Chairman which he said constituted a hindrance to the March 26th convention.

One of such is a court injunction obtained by a party member to stop the convention until his grievances were addressed.

El-Rufai, who said Buni was aware and neither informed the party nor did anything on it, said efforts had commenced now to vacate the injunction which he described as “a weapon of mass destruction”, planned to use to scuttle the convention.

He said the fate of caretaker secretary James Akpanudoedehe had been decided after he refused to take instruction from acting Chairman Bello who took over on Monday.

El-Rufai, said he had the authority of Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu to explain the action that led to the appointment of Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello as acting chairman of APC.

He said 19 of the 23 governors elected on the ticket of the party were on same page on the mission to prevent the party from collapsing. He did not name the four governors that are not with them.

El-Rufai said: “We got a wind of a court process wherein an order had been gotten directing that the convention should not be held until the determination of the case. And it was unfortunate that our lawyer engaged by Buni-led committee agreed with this in court. If this remains, how can the convention be done?

“We got signals that there were some elements in the party that were bent on scuttling the proposed March 26 convention.

“And if we miss that date, the following Saturday will be Ramadan, and that means we would not be able to have convention until after Ramadan.  That means we would have lost another month according to INEC’s timetable.

“Based on this, we met with the President to discuss a number of issues with him like zoning formulae, which the President signed off on.”

APC defies INEC, vows to go ahead with March 26 convention

Earlier yesterday, the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) vowed to press ahead with arrangements for its March 26 National Convention, brushing aside the demand for a 21-day notice of intention by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the party appeared to have soft-pedaled on the removal of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni as CECPC Chairman with a party spokesman saying Buni remained in office.

However, INEC is not about to waive its insistence on the 21-day notice from the party.

The Nation gathered yesterday that the commission might boycott the APC convention unless the party complied with the provisions of the law.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took time out to mock the APC over the controversy generated by its convention.

It said INEC’s  rejection of a new APC leadership  was an indication that the ruling party  lacked the legitimacy and statutory requisites to participate in next year’s  elections.

Spokesperson for the CECPC and the APC National Youth Leader, Ismail Ahmed, told reporters yesterday in Abuja that INEC got it all wrong in demanding that the party should give a fresh 21-day notice for the March 26th national convention.

Ahmed, a lawyer, said the notice issued by the party originally fixing February 26 for the convention was sufficient to meet the relevant legal requirement and that what was  now required for the  new date of March 26 was simply a notice of an adjustment and not a fresh 21-day notice.

He said:  ”Convention will hold on the 26th of March. I am not only a youth leader or internal spokesperson, I am also a lawyer. And we had served a notice to INEC for the 26th of February earlier. We served that notice on the 5th of February and that was the required 21 days.

“If you are going to make any adjustment to that date, all you need is a letter, making an adjustment to the date. You don’t need another 21 days. And that letter was written about two weeks ago when we realised that we couldn’t hold it on the 26th of February.

“The moment the CECPC agreed on the 26th of March, that letter was written to INEC, INEC has accepted that letter. So that is long gone; it is not an issue.

“The issue of the date of convention is not in question, not in INEC, not certainly with us. That is settled. It is sacrosanct: that 26th of March and we have complied with all the rules and we have notified INEC as appropriately expected of us to do. So that’s no longer an issue.”

On the status of the embattled chairman of the CECPC, Ahmed said Governor Buni remained the chairman of the party and that Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has always been functioning in an acting capacity whenever the chairman is not available.

His words: “Since the inception of this CECPC on June 25, 2020, whenever the chairman is not around and Governor Sani Bello is around, he acts as chairman. It has always been the case that has never changed. It has always been the case.

“And now we have a convention on the 26th of March, the chairman wrote a letter and transmitted his power to go for medical treatment.

“These are two emergencies. He has a medical emergency that cannot wait for convention. We have a convention that cannot wait for him to be healthy, so one has to leave for other.

“The Chairman left, transmitted a letter, Governor Sani Bello has been acting appropriately. What is the problem? Why is it difficult for people to simply understand that?

“I just simply don’t understand why people are making this an issue. So Governor Bello is acting with the full authority of the caretaker committee and with the full authority of the stakeholders, and leaders of the party, and with the full consent and knowledge of Governor Mai-Mala Buni.

“It’s very clear and very simple. If anybody has any issues with any of our decisions, you can take it to court. For now we’re doing it with the full authority and backing of the law. So there is no ambiguity in this. Absolutely none.”

Ahmed also spoke on the APC zonal congresses earlier scheduled for today across the six geopolitical zones.

He said the congresses would now take place  simultaneously with the National Convention.

He described March 26 as sacrosanct for the party as arrangements are in top gear for the conduct of a hitch-free convention.

He added: “I was tasked with the responsibility for Media and Publicity; Prof. Tahir Mamman will be overseeing the Legal Department, Hon. Stella Okotete and Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf will be overseeing Organizing Department, and then Dr James Lalu and Chief David Lyon will oversee the Finance Department and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and Senator Abba Ali will be overseeing the Policy, Strategy and Research Department.”

He was however silent on the role of Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, the committee’s National Secretary, in the convention preparations.

“We just talked about the members of the committee; we didn’t talk about either Secretary or Chairman. They have their responsibilities cut out for them anyway. The other members are the ones that were all told to come and handle specific departments.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission had snubbed a March 8, 2022 letter from Governor Bello inviting it to an emergency NEC meeting of the party.

It said: ”Please refer to your letter Ref.APC/NHDQ/INEC/019/022/32,dated 8th March 2022.

“The commission draws your attention to the fact that the notice for the meeting was not signed by the national chairman and national secretary of the CECPC.

“This is contrary to the provision of the Article 1.1.3 of the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Party Operations (2018).

“Furthermore, the APC is reminded of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires ‘at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger’.

“And electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective office.

“While hoping these issues are noted for compliance, please accept the assurance of the commission’s warm regards.”