APC not fit for a political party, Buhari’s former associate wants it de-registered

A former ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, Buba Galadima, has said that Nigeria’s ruling Party,  APC, does not deserve to be a registered party due to its penchant for disregarding laid down rules.

He said if he had the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, he would have delisted the ruling party because, after three years of its establishment, the party has not held a single Board of Trustees, BOT, meeting and has also failed to deliver on any of its promises to Nigerians.

He said this while speaking to the Hausa service of the BBC on Wednesday.

Buba Galadima and President Muhammadu Buhari were close associates in the days of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, which merged with other parties to form the APC. He was the national secretary of the defunct CPC which was formed in the run-up to the 2011 election as a platform for Mohammed Buhari.

“APC does not deserve to be a political party. Its constitution clearly states that the BOT, the National Executive Committee, NEC and the National Working Committee must meet once every three months.

“Now, since the registration of the party, was there any time that the BoT met? The party never referred to its founding fathers to gauge their mood and to know their feelings on whether it is on the right track or not.

“I’m one of the nine people who signed the MoU for the establishment of APC based on certain agreements and ground rules. Sadly, none of these promises has been met and Nigerians cannot endure uncertainty anymore.”

He, however, expressed hope that the party would reinvent itself. He also said he does not support a political party building itself around an individual, again taking a subtle jab at the ruling party, which is seen as largely built around Mr. Buhari.

“I detest a situation whereby some people would hang the survival of APC on one individual. The party belongs to all of us, Nigerians. Politics and political power are transient and we must look ahead of time.”

This is not the first time, Mr. Galadima would be flaying the APC and the president.

In an interview with Daily Trust in November, 2016 Mr. Galadima,believed to be one of the close allies of President Buhari who worked with him in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 general elections, said that Mr. Buhari’s lack of interest in party politics, especially in resolving the then APC crisis, may lead to its disintegration, thereby leaving him (Buhari) with no political platform on which to run for a second term in 2019 if he decides to seek re-election.

“The APC has been raped aground, and it is only claiming to be in government because it is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that is actually controlling power,” Mr. Galadima told Daily Trust adding that by his utterances, Mr. Buhari was not interested in party politics; hence the rancour within the APC.

A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, another chieftain of the party, also recently criticised the ruling party for sidelining him after injecting massive funds into the campaign that led to the elevation of the party in the 2015 general elections.

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