Following the conduct of July 31st ward congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stakeholders in the party have remained divided over the Supreme Court judgment on Governor Rotimi Akeredolu vs Eyitayo Jegede of People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Checks by The Guardian showed that issues surrounding the apex court judgment, the forthcoming national convention of the party and scheming for 2023 election divided among three tendencies, including those seeking th reinstatement of the sacked NWC without the suspended former national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, those who want Buni and other incumbent governors removed from CECPC and those urging for total dissolution of the CECPC to set up a new body.
Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni, who is still smarting from the clean bill of health given by prominent stakeholders of the party on the legality of his stay in office, described the ward congresses as a huge success. He was no doubt relieved by the instant show of solidarity by two of the party’s top legal minds – Mamman Tahir and Adeniyi Akintola, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).
Moreover, the submissions of the lawyers were enough to reassure party faithful not to be dissuaded from participating in the exercise, which will culminate in the conduct of the party’s national convention.
The pervading feeling among a section of party’s hierarchy is that those pushing for Buni’s removal were doing so purely to satisfy their political interests ahead of the 2023 poll. However, as they pushed, some topnotchers within the party began circulating an extract of the Supreme Court Judgment, which upheld the election victory of the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, as part of their efforts to consolidate the Buni committee’s hold on the party structure.
It may not be stage-managed, but members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) did not waste time to equally pass a vote of confidence on the CECPC. PGF Chairman, Mr Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, while arguing that the judgment also settled the legality of the committee, thanked the Supreme Court for the landmark judgment.
PGF believes that the judgment, among others, have dealt conclusively with legality of the Buni committee, its composition and all its decisions. That could be why the CECPC Secretary, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, maintained that the conduct of the congresses remains on firm ground.
Court Decision
PART of the extract of the Supreme Court judgment reads inter alia: “That sponsorship of a candidate in an election is that of the party and not the individual Officer of the party forwarding the name of the candidate.
“That the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party is empowered to create, elect and appoint Committees (including the instant CECPC) or any other committee it may deem necessary to act in any capacity.
“On the strength of all the above position of the Supreme Court in the instant case and other earlier decided cases cited in support, it is our opinion that the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni is on firm ground to proceed with its mandate as given by the National Executive Committee of the APC.”
Flowing from the above, Akintola, who said he guided the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN, on the issue, argued that the tendencies that lost out in the congresses were the ones calling for the removal of Buni.
He stated: “Those saying that the congresses will be nullified, it is their wishful thinking. I don’t have a reply to that. All the grandstanding and hullabaloo does not call for any reaction. This is not the first time we will have such a minority judgment. It is not binding. It is only good for sociologists and academics. The minority judgment may be popular but it doesn’t have any effect.
“Those who have lost out are the ones crying for the removal of Buni and nullification of the congresses. Those who felt short-changed are the ones making the call. It is their constitutional right. You can’t beat a child and expect him not to cry. They are just crying foul. I told Malami to go on with the congresses. Osinbajo did not consult. I am a senior lawyer, but I gave the advice, which was subscribed to by Malami.”
It should be noted that the Buni committee, which was disposed to the adoption of consensus method for the selection of party officials, is now left with the task of scaling up to the local councils, states and zonal congresses before settling for the national convention.
To the Yobe State governor, the outcome of the ward congresses across the country speaks volumes about the inroads so far recorded in building a strong internal democracy to give the party a strong leadership genuinely elected by the people.
