Nigeria’s Governing APC Holds Ward Congresses Today Amidst Crisis

The governors of the ruling All Progressive Congress, at an emergency meeting held in Abuja on Thursday to review the issues trailing the Supreme Court judgment on the election of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, were sharply divided over the development in the party.

Rattled by last Wednesday’s minority judgement of the Supreme Court on the Ondo State governorship election, which punched holes in the legality of the actions of its National Caretaker Committee’s Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, members of the All Progressives Congress’ Caretaker Committee yesterday scampered to the Minister of Justice/Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, for advice on whether to go ahead with today’s ward congresses.

On the same day, a chieftain of the APC from Abia State, Kalu Agu, asked a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the APC from going ahead with its ward congresses today, as well as subsequent local governments, states, zonal congresses, and the party’s National Convention.

As for Buni, sources said he was also distressed by the Supreme Court indictment, and “he is seriously weighing his options about either staying as party Chair or returning to his job as Yobe State governor.”

Another source said the decision to consult Malami on the issue was in conformity with the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Of course, Malami, after an elaborate analysis, cleared the Caretaker Committee to proceed with the ward congresses, assuring that Buni’s continued stay as Chair would not portend any crisis for the party.

The sources said Malami told the caretaker members that the Supreme Court judgement did not render the committee illegal and that it still “has legal capacity to undertake any action on behalf and in the name of the party.”

Malami said further that the judgement did not question the legality of all the actions taken by the Buni-committee since inception.

A member of Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Prof. Mamman Tahir, who confirmed this development, while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, said Malami assured that Buni’s stay was legal, and would not turn the congresses into a nullity.

Tahir stated: “I am here this afternoon to reconfirm that our Congresses are on course to hold tomorrow (Saturday) and this Committee is working closely with the Attorney-General of the Federation and he has offered advice that we are on good ground and we are comfortable with that position.

“So, our programmes will continue to roll on in the normal course of things. We want to assure teeming members of the APC across the country to come out and elect officers at the ward levels. This party believes so much in grassroots politics, grassroots democracy; that is the strength of the party.

“I call on all members to come out tomorrow and elect leaders of their choice at the Ward level before the party moves to the next stage of the democratisation process.”

Our correspondent gathered that while some of the governors at the meeting backed the decision of the committee to organize the congresses in states today, others faulted it.

One of the sources at the meeting yesterday said some of the governors called for the suspension of the congresses.

The source who does not want to be named said, “There was a serious division at the meeting. While some are saying that the congresses be suspended, others insisted that it should be held.”

But another source said, “It was resolved at the meeting that the congresses should go on as scheduled and that the removal of Buni is not an option.”

He added that the meeting was fruitful, saying, “Most of the governors who attended the meeting held in a lodge in Abuja were in support of the committee’s decision.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened to sanction any member or group that would organise parallel congresses as the exercise begins today, nationwide.

The secretary of the party’s Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, in a statement Friday, also ordered all members with pending litigations to withdraw them immediately.

Part of the statement reads, “All pending litigations instituted by members against the party should be withdrawn forthwith. And going forward, no member should institute matters against the party without exhausting the internal mechanism for conflict resolution as enshrined in the constitution.

“Consequent upon the above, party members should please note that all activities that may be carried out by persons to put the party and its officers in bad light, before, during and after the congresses, should be jettisoned.

However, findings by our correspondents indicate that factions within the ruling party in some of the states are bracing for a showdown ahead of the ward congresses.

Asked if Congresses will hold in  Zamfara and Anambra, Tahir said: “Another date is being fixed for those states because we have an election coming up in Anambra. We don’t want to jeopardise our position there. Though in Zamfara, only recently, they are still doing their validation and continuation of membership registration. So that is the position.”

The National Secretary of APC’s CECPC, John  Akpanudoedehe, also buoyed by Malami’s assurances, issued a statement Firday, saying Saturday’s ward congresses would go ahead as planned.

Akpanudoedehe warned that any parallel congress, parallel party organ and or parallel party office would not be tolerated by the national leadership of the party ahead of the ward congresses.

In a notice to party members, he said the APC would deploy the full weight of the law as stipulated in Section 21(D) of the party’s Constitution on any one who engaged in such act.

In the notice, the party said it was important that the attention of all party faithful be drawn to the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of 8th December, 2020, which subsists and extends to the conduct of party members during the congresses.

The APC re-stated that all pending litigations instituted by members against the party should be withdrawn forthwith, “and going forward, no member should institute matters against the party, without exhausting the internal mechanism for conflict resolution, as enshrined in the party’s constitution.”

The ruling party said as a result of the above, party members should note that all activities that may be carried out by persons to put the party and its officers in bad light, before, during and after the congresses should be jettisoned. 

It added: “All activities or processes congresses and thereafter which do not have the approval of the CECPC are exercises in futility. This is to say that: any purported; parallel congress, parallel party organ and or parallel party office, is to say the least a nullity. These divisive activities will not be tolerated.

We are waiting as things dort themselves out.