•Details Of His New Deal With Pres. BUHARI
The leadership crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC for a couple of years took a different turn earlier this month as about majority of APC governors approached President Buhari on his way to a medical trip to the United Kingdom to articulate the many reasons to prove that Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni is not ready for the March 26 convention. The Yobe State Governor, Gove Buni has been steering the affairs of the APC since June 2020.
In an unprecedented move, President Mohammadu Buhari ordered that Gov, Buni be removed and the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, who is a member of the caretaker committee, arrived at the APC national secretariat the same day to assume the position of the acting chairman of the caretaker committee.
Barely 24 hours after the news has gone viral, Kaduna State Governor granted an interview on Channels Television to confirm all the stories. He went on to say that Governor Buni is gone for good, unveiling his many sins against the party and Mr President, and stating categorically that his deputy will take over and coordinate the March 26, convention.
The following day, Niger State Governor, Governor Sani Bello, arrived at the party secretariat to oversee the meeting between the caretaker committee and the state chairmen referred to himself as the acting chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, and when asked about the position of Buni, he answered that he is “not aware of any position”.
The allegation that the governors levied against Buni was hinged on the premise that he had no plan to conduct convention any time soon because he’s nursing the ambition of running as a Vice President. A former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, in his statement also insisted that the Buni-led Caretaker Committee had several bones in its neck, especially one purporting that the committee has indirectly procured a court order against holding the national convention on March 26; but which it plans to tender a few days to the convention.
However, in a twist of fate, Gov Buni played his way around the crisis and got back his groove amidst the intimidating numbers of enemies against him. When he got the news of his removal, he was in the United Arab Emirates for a medical checkup along with his wife, Gumsu who is a daughter to the late dictator, General Sani Abacha. His close friend, ally and a member of President Buhari’s inner circle and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, called up the President who has arrived in the UK at the time and hint him at the implications of the unconstitutional removal of Governor Buni. Apparently, the President has no jurisdiction to remove a party chairman, either substantive or temporary. Abubakar Malami maintained that Gov Buni can only be removed by the powers of the APC National Executive Committee (NEC), the only body that can sack Buni or the CECPC.
A couple of days after the heat of removal had died down, Governor Buni cut short his Dubai trip and headed straight to the UK to meet with the president and was joined by his small team of loyalists. After much consideration and the call made by the Attorney General, Buhari directed Buni to resume as the chairman.
Other credible sources within the party later confirmed that the lawsuit was originally instituted by those who are now opposed to Gov. Mai Mallam Buni after they discovered they could not manipulate him to do their biddings at the conventions.
One of the sources said”, if you follow the event of the Progressive Governors Forum, you will notice they have been clamouring to have the presidential candidate come from their midst. They were actually trying to negotiate a slot in the presidency, and at the minimum get to pick the vice president from their group. That has been what they wanted all along.
“If you can notice, a member of the governor’s forum who granted an interview with Channels said that he would contest as a vice president alongside a serving minister. That was the plan.
Buni has, unfortunately, refused to marginalize any member of the party, preferring to be a leader for all.
“Most of the cabal members are eyeing the Vice Presidency of the country and have perfected their plans to achieve this by controlling the party at its highest level, which made them to see Buni as a stumbling block hence the need to remove him from office,” source revealed.
The cabal, who plotted Buni’s exit, were already jubilating and making toast over their seemed victory in the removal of Buni and naming of Bello as his replacement when their joy was cut short.
They realize that they were on the verge of subjecting the party to a series of litigations that may bar the party from presenting a presidential candidate for the 2023 General Elections.
In a letter dated March 16, 2022, and addressed to the governor of Kebbi State and chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the president ordered an immediate return to the status quo ante, following the recent controversial attempt to change the CECPC leadership.
President Buhari also warned all members of the APC Governors’ forum and their followers to desist from any behaviour or utterance that will likely lead to further disunity in the ranks of the party and ultimately jeopardise the transition to the convention. It is in this light that APC cancelled its emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting slated for Thursday.
The party issued the notice for the cancellation of the meeting hours after a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the reinstatement of Mala Buni as the interim national chairman of the party.
– Joseph Seun Emmanuel
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