•••DIRECTS APC GOVERNORS TO STOP FURTHER DIVISIVE TALK ON THE ISSUE
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday reversed himself on the crisis rocking Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee of the All Progressives Congress by backing finally Gov Mala Buni as the the National Chairman.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Segun Adesina, said in a statement on on Wednesday that the President hinged his decision on the fact that the party could not change the leadership of the CECC without infringing on the time limit set by INEC, coupled with the fact that the current uncertainties and controversies “pose a real threat to the party.”
The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai had told Channels Television, Politics Today, on March 9, that Buni and the Secretary were removed on the strength of President Buhari’s directive.
According to him, Buni and his men surreptitiously got a court order to sabotage the forthcoming National Convention of the APC slated for March 26, 2022.
But the Indepndent National Electoral Commission had refused to accept Buni and Akpanudoedehe’s replacement, Governor Sani Bello and Prof Mamman Tair respectively in a letter of March 9, 2022, Rose Onaran-Anthony, the Commission’s secretary,
However the President who had earlier cautioned leaders of the APC to learn from the mistakes of the opposition PDP, took a definite stand on the leadership impasse by supporting Buni on Wednesday.
The President spoke with finality enjoying the APC Governors from making further comment on the touchy issue.
Adesina said that the far reaching decisions of the President were contained in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of the Progressives Governor’s Forum, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.
“The issue of the leadership of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee (CECC) should immediately return to status quo ante;
“All members of the Governors Forum and their followers should desist from any behaviour or utterance that will likely lead to disunity in the ranks of the party, and ultimately jeorpadise the transition to the convention;
“The Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee should accordingly be allowed to proceed with all necessary preparations to hold the convention as planned- unfailingly on 26th March, 2022.” Adesina said
The statement quoted the President as saying that “the multiplicity of cases currently rocking the party has the prospect of invalidating the activities and actions of the Party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).”
Adesina said that the letter copied the Chairman of Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee (CECC), the Acting Chairman of the CECC, Governor Sani Bello, the Director General of the DSS as well as the Inspector General of Police.