The Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mai Mala Buni, has berated some members of the party, including the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Festus Keyamo, over their comments on the recent Supreme Court judgement in the Ondo governorship election and described their comments as both malicious and self-serving.
Keyamo, SAN, in a leaked memo, had said while the ruling party won the legal battle in the Ondo governorship, the Supreme Court has just weaponised all those that would be aggrieved by the APC Congresses to proceed to court to challenge the competence of the Buni-led committee to organise the congresses and national convention.
Also, two presidential aides, Senators Babafemi Ojudu and Ita Enang, said a cursory look at the minority judgment appeared to have swept the carpet of legality off the caretaker committee rendering it illegal, null, void and of no legal capacity to undertake any action on behalf of and in the name of the party.
In the same vein, a former National Legal Adviser of the APC, Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN), believed that the party’s congresses remained a nullity in the eyes of the law and should be cancelled forthwith, recommending instead, the reinstatement of the dissolved NWC without the former National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, because his suspension followed due process.
But Buni, while inaugurating Appeal Committees on the recently-conducted Ward Congresses yesterday in Abuja, said, the comments from some persons, who should have known better was just to play on the gullibility of the public.
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The Yobe governor, who was represented by the party’s National Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe said, “In the past few days, the media space has been filled with commentaries on the Supreme Court judgment in Jegede v. Akeredolu, with persons, who should know better, coming out with very malicious and self-serving opinions, just to play on the gullibility of the public, while forgetting that our party is made up of very intelligent, sound and intellectually proficient persons, who have seen beneath their grandstanding.
“The majority judgment of the Supreme Court has strengthened the position of the CECPC and our Chairman. The minority judgment serves only for academic purposes, nothing more.”
Buni noted that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who is the chief law officer of the federation, has said the committee was on firm ground and advised that it should proceed with the processes of the congresses.
“It is trite to note that, the Congresses to produce our party organs across had commenced on the 31st of July, 2021 and you will agree with me that it went substantially well.
“However, it is expected that where ever and whenever there’s a competition, of course, there is bound to be contestations.
“Therefore as an organization based on rules and procedures, avenues and channels must be provided for party members who are dissatisfied with the processes, to ventilate their grievances through an internal mechanism, hence this Wards Congresses Appeals Committee in the circumstance of this exercise.”
The chairman further pointed out that the Progressives Governors’ Forum through their extensive legal apparatchik had x-rayed the generality of the issues at their meeting held on August 8, 2021, and reaffirmed their support for the committee and asked it to proceed with the congresses as scheduled.
He pointed out that while the congresses that would produce party organs across had commenced on the 31st of July, 2021, it was expected that wherever there was a competition, there was bound to be contestations.
“Therefore as an organisation based on rules and procedures, avenues and channels, must be provided for party members, who are dissatisfied with the processes, to ventilate their grievances through an internal mechanism, hence these Ward Congresses Appeals Committee in the circumstance of this exercise,” Buni added.
He noted that the ruling party was for all Nigerians, therefore, the party must show, not only by words but by concrete actions that there was no attempt to exclude or sideline anybody in the course of the exercise.
The chairman noted that the actions of the members in this regard would help engender cohesion, build trust and confidence in this all-important exercise.
He maintained that the committee has been entrusted with one of the most solemn obligations of citizenship, which was to help deepen democratisation processes and strengthen the polity.
