There is confusion in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the fate of its caretaker chairman, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.
A heavy security cordon around the party’s national secretariat yesterday preceded the arrival of Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, who declared himself the acting chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).
In a brief encounter with reporters, Governor Sani Bello said: “I have been acting for a while since the Chairman travelled.”
He promised to be at the secretariat “almost every day now” to carry out his duties as the new helmsman.
Giving the highlight of what transpired at the meeting, Sani-Bello said: “There are some events that happened here today (yesterday) as part of activities going forward to our national convention.
“We just received the report of the zoning committee headed by the governor of Kwara State and the Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege.
“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.”
Some party chiefs said President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered that Buni be removed; others said he would resume office tomorrow.
The internal rift in the APC deepened last night with state chairmen’s meeting on Buni’s continuation as chair of the caretaker committee.
The meeting was ongoing as at press time.
Buni, who is away in Dubai along with his youngest wife Hajiya Gumsu (nee Abacha), according to sources, will rush back home after learning of yesterday’s development. He is expected back tomorrow.
Governor Sani Bello as acting chairman received the report of the zoning committee chaired by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq.
He also inaugurated newly-elected 35 state chairmen and the convention sub-committees (excluding Sokoto State).
This is in addition to presiding over a meeting of the CECPC.
Among the convention sub-committees chairmen inaugurated were: Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, Senator Ken Nnamani, Senator Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, David Lyon, Ismail Ahmed and Stella Okotete.
Osun State Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who had resigned from the caretaker committee, was absent.
There was tension as security men took over the party office.
About 15 patrol vehicles were stationed around the secretariat, which was cordoned off as early as 9 am.
Buni’s offence, some APC top officials said, is his alleged scheming to prevent the convention from holding on March 26. They further alleged that his cohorts in the party had secured an order from a court in Abuja stopping the convention. A security report was said to have confirmed the existence of the order.
The order, they said, is being kept secret to be made public on March 24, when it would be too late to reverse it.
The alleged scheming and other moves of the CECPC were said to have been relayed to President Buhari on Sunday before he travelled to the UK by some APC governors, who fell out with Buni. The governors and the caretaker chairman had a good relationship until recently.
Buni was also accused of promoting the alleged presidential ambition of former President Goodluck Jonathan and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele in a bid to become a Vice Presidential candidate.
It was learnt that the President returned home from Kenya where he attended a United Nations event to resolve the boiling issues in his party before going to the United Kingdom for medical attention.
However, this could not be independently confirmed.
Buhari was said to be alarmed by Buni’s alleged scheming and the unpreparedness of the CECPC for the convention and directed that a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) be held to ease Buni out.
The President was angry that Buni and some members of his team wanted to stay put in office until after the conduct of the Presidential and other primaries.
There were indications that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), was mandated to advise the party on how to vacate the court order.
It was also learnt that the emergence of two types of zoning formula, purportedly signed by Buhari, was considered as ridiculous and an affront to paint the President as “very weak.”
One of Buni’s aides, who spoke with our correspondent after hearing from his boss, said: “Up till now, Governor Buni has not received any instruction from the President to quit his position as the Chairman of CECPC.”
It was learnt that the selection of Governor Sani Bello as the acting chairman of the party was for a period of three weeks.
A source said President Buhari was furious over the constant flouting of his directives by the Buni-led Caretaker Committee.
It was gathered that the circulation of two types of zoning formula with the President’s signature confirmed security reports on the alleged desperation of some members of the CECPC to perpetuate themselves in power.
Apart from the alleged ambition of Buni to be Vice President, the CECPC secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe never hid his ambition to be the next governor of Akwa Ibom State.
A governor said: “The President got enough security reports on their plot to lead APC into the abyss. He was shocked after he tolerated them to change the February date of the convention.
“They were planning to stop convention outright. They secured a secret injunction to stop the convention through an FCT High Court and were planning to release it by March 24 when it would be too late to vacate the order.
“The AGF was not in the picture and everyone was shocked at how the court order came about. But from preliminary findings, a Northcentral governor’s front secured the injunction with the full involvement of CECPC members and their minority jokers, which now includes a principal officer in the Senate as the main player alongside two governors from the South.
