APC crisis deepens, Buhari orders removal of Buni

APC crisis deepens, Buhari orders removal of Buni

The crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened as President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the removal of the National Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State. A source from the party revealed to National Daily that the President issued the directive for the removal of Buni before he departed for London, the United Kingdom (UK) on medieval vacation.

Party sources revealed to National Daily that Governor Buni was opposed to the candidate for the APC national chairman endorsed by President Buhari, Abdulahi Adamu, former Governor of Nasarawa State. APC governors were divided over the President’s choice of Adamu as national chairman. Buni’s opposition, the party source said, was leaked to Buhari while he was in Kenya, forcing the President to rush back from Nigeria for urgent consultation before he departed for the UK.  The President had initially scheduled to travel to the UK from Kenya.

Another source from the APC secretariat in Abuja told National Daily that Buni is not willing to allow the APC national convention to hold, saying that the Yobe governor plans to conduct both the national convention and the presidential election primary simultaneously before he quits office.

The party source disclosed that the APC national convention may never hold, saying that the organizers of the convention have been sacked.

The APC will be trailing its tradition in appointing the national chairman since its emergence in 2014. The first interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, emerged through the nomination of one party leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He was presented to President Buhari by Tinubu for endorsement, after which other APC stakeholders aligned. There was no election for the national chairman then. After the 2015 general elections, Tinubu nominated Chief John Odigie-Oyegun to succeed Akande. Again, President Buhari endorsed the nomination.

The conflict between Odigie-Oyegun and Tinubu became intractable, the APC national leader moved for the removal of Odigie-Oyegun, and the national chairman was gone, accordingly.

Tinubu further nominated Adams Oshiomhole to succeed Odigie-Oyegun in a higher controversial circumstance at the party’s national convention. Oshiomhole was presented as consensus candidate for the party’s national chairman at the convention for mere endorsement. Every other candidate for the national chairman was forced to step down.

The same political practice infested other officers appointed into the APC National Working Committee (NWC) from the national secretary to others. They all emerged through consensus.

Governor Sani Bello of Niger State had on Sunday dramatically stormed the APC national secretariat in Abuja, taking over the seat of the Caretaker Committee national chairman

Meanwhile, Governor Buni in a statement on Monday morning by the CECPC National Secretary, John James Akpanudoedehe, insisted that he is still the APC interim national chairman.

The statement reads; “Our attention has been drawn to sponsored media reports on an imaginary leadership change in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

“The media report is fake news and should be disregarded.

“The APC is a progressive political party guided by rules. Leadership changes are not announced by ‘sources’ through name dropping in the media.

“We urge our teeming supporters, members and indeed the general public to remain calm and support the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC CECPC conduct a rancour-free and credible National Convention deserving of our great party.”

The departure of President Buhari to London was not unusual. Each time a critical decision is about to be made in the ruling APC; the President always travels out of the country.

There are indicators that many APC members don’t like Abdulahi Adamu as the party’s national chairman.