Another crisis looms in APC as chieftain dares Buhari, others

A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress [APC] from Lagos state, Lateef Arigbaruwo, has reportedly dragged the newly constituted Caretaker Committee of the party to court despite directives by President Muhammadu Buhari that all aggrieved members of the party should withdraw all cases against the party for peace to reign.

It would be recalled, that following in the heels of crisis that had befallen the ruling party soon after an Appeal Court upheld the suspension of the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, President Muhammadu Buhari had hosted a meeting of the APC National Executive Council (NEC).

At the NEC meeting, held at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) Chamber of the Presidential Villa on June 25, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC was dissolved and a Caretaker Committee, headed by Mai-Mala Buni, governor of Yobe State, was constituted.

The President had advised members of the party to withdraw all pending litigations against one another, and settle for internal conciliation, warning that the mutating disagreements could lead to self-destruction, with dire consequences.

However, in a suit marked FHC/L/CS/789/2020 at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Lateef Arigbaruwo faulted the NEC meeting of the party and urged the court to ascertain “whether having regards to Article 25, paragraph B (i) and (ii) of the Constitution of the party, the 24 hours’ notice given by the 2nd defendant for the NEC meeting held on June 25 was valid and legal”.

The petitioner is equally asking for an order of the court setting aside all the decisions taken in the NEC meeting, which he “declared illegal on the grounds that it was conveyed on June 24 and held on June 25, contrary to Article 25 of the APC Constitution”.

He called on the court to issue an order restraining the caretaker committee members from functioning as managers of the party, adding that the court should grant an order allowing Hilliard Eta, APC National Vice-Chairman (South-South), to pilot the affairs of the party as acting national chairman and to preside at all meetings of the NWC and NEC.

Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos, who the case was assigned to, asked that the case be returned to the chief judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment.

He said that the matter should be in Abuja where the defendants reside.