Cracks in Presidency as Osinbajo maintains position on APC leadership

The crack in the presidency over the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership led by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni has widened as the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo maintained his position on the legality of the panel.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who is in London, had directed Osinbajo to take charge of the legal concerns being expressed by stakeholders following the split judgement of the Supreme Court on the Ondo governorship election.

Osinbajo had last weekend met with lawyers serving in the cabinet, and had reportedly advised against the last Saturday’s ward congresses of the party. However, the caretaker committee went ahead with the congresses as it earlier planned.

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Recall that some stakeholders of the party including the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo had called for Buni’s resignation or sack.

Similarly, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, earlier on Monday dismissed reports that he disobeyed the directives of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the party’s State Congresses.

On the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, Osinbajo had convened a meeting of senior lawyers within the APC on July 30 with a view to finding a resolution to the crisis within the party following the Supreme Court ruling on the Ondo state governorship election.

However, in a statement signed by Malami’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Umar Gwandu, the AGF said the conduct of the congresses is entirely the affairs of the APC and has nothing to do with the Minister.

“The allegation does not represent the true position of things, please. It is a common knowledge that the two eminent personalities are both lawyers, hence could be entitled to their respective opinions within the context of Section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that upholds freedom of expression.

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“It is a tradition and normal experience in life that lawyers express divergent opinions which in some cases are not rooted in the majority decision of the Supreme Court on speculations and insinuations.

Meanwhile, headquarters of the party in Abuja has been taken over by men of the Nigeria Police Force, who arrived at the party’s secretariat on Monday morning in over five Hilux Patrol Vans.

The police team numbering over 30 had reportedly strategically positioned themselves within the secretariat along Blantyre street, without harassing passersby or motorists using the street.

Reports noted that the gun-wielding policemen did not allow any vehicle to park within the secretariat’s vicinity, including those of the staff, visitors and journalists that were there.