Confusion as two governors lay claim of APC chairmanship

The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress worsened on Monday with two governors laying claim to the chairmanship of the party.

To the chagrin of many, media reports on Monday claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari before embarking on a medical trip to the United Kingdom on Sunday had ordered for the removal of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni as the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee Chairman, and his replacement with Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.

The reports were quickly debunked in a statement signed by the National Secretary of the CECPC, Dr John Akpanudoedehe, titled ‘Fake news: No leadership change in APC CECPC.’

Akpanudoedehe said that leadership changes are not announced by ‘sources’ through name-dropping in the media.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to sponsored media reports on an imaginary leadership change in the All Progressives Congress Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

“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.

Read Also: It was gunmen that killed 22-year-old woman, Oluwabamise – Lagos BRT driver confesses

“We urge our teeming supporters, members and indeed the general public to remain calm and support the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC CECPC conducts a rancour-free and credible national convention.”

However, amid that denial, the unprecedented happened when Governor Bello, who is a member of the caretaker committee, arrived at the APC national secretariat about 12:30 pm to assume the position of the acting chairman of the caretaker committee.

He stormed the secretariat amid heavy security presence comprising about 70 security personnel with no less than 15 patrol vehicles which barricaded access roads to the premises.

Bello told journalists he was unaware of Buni’s position, adding that he had the blessing of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He stated this shortly after a meeting with members of the caretaker committee and state chairmen of the APC.

When reporters asked him in what capacity he was taking action, he replied, “Acting Chairman of the APC and governor of Niger State. I am acting chairman, caretaker committee.”

Further asked to explain Buni’s position in the party, he said, “I am not aware of any position at the moment.”

On what he came to do at the national secretariat, Bello said “The state chairmen took their oath of office today and we discussed progress made so far on convention and what needs to be done next so that we will achieve the March 26 date for the convention.”

According to some APC officials, the development looks strange in the sense that the committee’s spokesman, Akpanudoedehe, had always overseen the daily operations of the party including the handing of certificates to state chairmen in early February, and not the Niger State governor.

Bello had also on Monday received a report of the party’s zoning committee ahead of the March 26 national convention, as an acting chairman.

After receiving the report, Bello declared he had Buhari’s blessing in his role in the CECPC.

Caracal Reports learnt from a source in the APC that Buni’s travail came as a result of his shenanigans which have seen many of the governors of the party abandoning him.

The source claimed that Buni has been a nursing vice-presidential ambition and have no plan to conduct the national convention.

It added that Buni allowed his personal interest to override that of the party.

 Meanwhile, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, in a statement on Monday, which he titled ‘Rescuing APC: A task for all Party Leaders,’  said that the Buni-led Caretaker Committee battled several allegations, especially one purporting that the committee has allegedly procured a court order against holding the national convention on March 26; but which it plans to tender a few days to the convention.

He said, “Between November 2021 and January 2022, the APC Convention had to be postponed three times because of deliberate refusal to initiate most the processes required, such as booking the venue for the convention and serving the statutory three weeks’ notice to INEC.

“In addition, there were other serious allegations against the leadership of Mai Mala Buni, which include the discovery that his group, since November 2021, had obtained a court injunction against the convention and are waiting until three or two days to the convention before serving it on the party to succeed in blocking the March 26 APC convention from holding.

“The plot is that Buni wants to continue to run the affairs of the party and conduct the party’s primary where candidates for 2023 elections would emerge. Based on that there are specific allegations of Buni striking some deals with some Presidential aspirants to ensure their emergence as the Presidential Candidate of APC for the 2023 elections.”