Tension in R-APC as Buhari moves security agencies to clamp down on certain members

The All Progressives Congress on Sunday has threatened to take legal actions against the National Chairman of the Reformed-APC, Alhaji Buba Galadima, and other members of the splinter group.

The National Legal Adviser of the APC, Babatunde Ogala, said this in a statement on Sunday–in areaction to the formation of the R-APC.

The group made of the nPDP bloc within the APC, and other aggrieved members of the ruling party, on Thursday last week announced the formation of the R-APC.

Ogala accused Galadima and other R-APC leaders of impersonation, fraudulent interpretation, conducts likely to breach public peace and breach of trademark and infringement of copyright.

The APC also is also considering arrest of leading members of the R-APC by security agencies.

“For the infringement so far committed by Mr Galadima and the odium he has brought upon the APC brand, we will be seeking civil redress against his person and that of his group,” said Ogala.

“With respect to the criminal aspect of his conduct, we will be notifying the appropriate authorities to do the needful.”

He described the press conference and statement issued by Galadima as “reminiscent of the televised military address issued after a successful execution of a coup d’état” which had become the order of the day before the return of democracy.

Ogala accused the Galadima-led R-APC of resorting to self-help instead of seeking legal redress.

He said if members of the group felt strongly about events that took place during the recently concluded national convention of the APC, they should have approached the court.

Galadima’s press release was captured under three major issues:

“That the party’s convention was improperly conducted by the convention chairman as consensus candidates were only subjected to a ‘yes’ vote in alleged contravention of Article 20 of the APC constitution.

“That a group of delegates have come together 10 days after the successful conduct of the APC convention to, in their words, ‘take control and give legitimacy’ to APC now to be known as Reformed APC.

“That R-APC, whose congresses and convention date has yet to be disclosed, already has the full complement of national executives, national working committee, state executives and local government officials in all 774 local government areas across the country.”

“The question of elections within the APC is covered by Article 20 of the APC Constitution. Specifically, Section 20 (1) provides that all party posts prescribed or implied by this constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at the respective national convention or congress; subject where possible to consensus,” stated Ogala.

Noting criminal breaches of the law on the part of the R-APC, Ogala said that the immediate consequence of Galadima’s action is that “he and his gang” had committed several criminal infractions against the APC.

For instance, the legal adviser said by referring to himself as a national chairman, Galadima has committed the offence of impersonation.

He said Galadima, knowingly made a statement which he knew to be untrue with the aim of deceiving Nigerians into abandoning the APC.

He argued that the APC is a brand owned by members of the political party so registered and that by using the APC brand, the R-APC infringed on the copyright of the APC and was thus liable.

Ogala said the APC is ready to do everything lawfully necessary to cleanse Nigeria’s political process of people who had become accustomed to brigandage and being unruly.

In his reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the R-APC, Mr Kassim Afegbua, said, “This long epistle to the Romans with a series of legal jargon is only food for the ears of their political buccaneers and economic predators.

“This so-called legal adviser does not need to bog us with this long, windy and twisted legal logic; all he needs to do is to approach a court of competent jurisdiction and sue us,” said Afegbua.

“As one of the beneficiaries of a convention, he needs to impress his new economic predators that he too has all it takes to fit into the filthy lucre of the present arrangement.”