…Says Buni remains our CECPC chair
…INEC rejects Bello’s invitation to NEC meeting
The Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Party (APC) has insisted that nothing would change the party’s March 26 National Convention.
According to the party, it had notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its intention to hold the convention, stressing that there was no need for a fresh 21-day notice as demanded by INEC for the exercise in its letter.
The spokesman for the CECPC who is the APC national youth leader, Barrister Ismael Ahmed, said this Friday in Abuja at a press conference.
He said having already intimated INEC of its intent to conduct its national convention on February 26, which was moved March 26, adding that “what is required is simply a notice of adjustment and not a fresh 21-day notice.”
“The Convention will be held on March 26. I am not only a youth leader or an interim spokesperson of the party, I am also a lawyer and we have served a notice to INEC for February 26 earlier and we served that notice on February 5. That was the required 21 days. If you are going to make any adjustment to that date, all you need is a letter making an adjustment to the date.
“We don’t need another 21 days and that letter was written about two weeks ago. Immediately we realised that we couldn’t hold it on February 26. The moment the CECPC agreed on March 26, that letter was written to INEC and they have accepted the letter. So, that is long gone. It is not an issue. The issue of the date of Convention is not an issue, not in INEC, not certainly with us. That is settled. It is sacrosanct. We have complied with all the requirements and we have notified INEC as appropriately expected of us,” he said.
He said further that the Governor Abubakar Sani-Bello-led CECPC had declared that Yobe state governor, Mai Mala Buni, remained the chairman of the Committee.
“It is pretty simple. I don’t know why this is a complicated issue for a lot of people to understand. Since the inception of this CECPC on June 25 2020, whenever the chairman is not around and Governor Sani Bello is around, he acts on behalf of the chairman.
“He is our acting chairman and that has always been the case. That has never changed. And now we have a Convention on March 26, the chairman wrote a letter for his leave to go for medical treatment. Those are two emergencies. He has a medical emergency that cannot wait for the Convention and we have a Convention that cannot wait for him to be healthy.
“So, one has to leave for the other. The chairman transmitted a letter and Governor Bello has been acting as appropriate. He is acting with the full authority of the CECPC and with the full authority of the stakeholders and leaders of the party and with the full consent and knowledge of Governor Mai Mala Buni. If anybody has any issues with any of our decisions, you can take it to court. For now, we know we are doing it with the full backing of the law. There is no ambiguity in this.”
Findings by our correspondent revealed that according to Article 13.3(v) of the APC Constitution 2014, only the NEC of the party can exercise such control and take such disciplinary actions on governor Buni or his committee, if there is any allegation of infraction against him or any other member of the party.
Also, Article 13.2(vi) of the same constitution quoted in the preceding paragraph explicitly emphasises that it is the same NEC that can appoint Niger state governor and his committee or any other person it may deem fit and assign powers and functions to them accordingly.
Speaking with Blueprint on condition of anonymity, a former party leader said: “As of now, the NEC decision that appointed Buni and his committee is still binding on all organs and members except the National Convention according to Article 13.3(iii) and it is until the same NEC decides otherwise.
“I will rather ask Governor Sani-Bello, Governor el-Rufa’i and others to urgently apologise to the Yobe state governor, Mala Buni, publicly for misleading the public and especially the numerous APC members.”
INEC’s declaration
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had rejected a letter inviting it to an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC).
The development implies that the electoral body did not recognise the removal of Governor Mai Mala Buni as chairman of the party’s caretaker committee and his subsequent replacement by Abubakar Sani Bello, the governor of Niger state.
INEC’s response, which dated March 9, 2022, signed by the secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran Anthony, was titled, “Re: Invitation to the emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee,” and addressed to the national chairman, APC CECPC.
The Commission drew the attention of the CECPC to the fact that the letter of invitation was not signed by the national chairman and the national secretary of the CECPC, Buni and Senator John Akpanudoedehe, respectively.
This, it said, was contrary to the provision of Article 1.1.3 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Party Operations (2018).
INEC also reminded those who wrote and signed the letter of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, “which requires at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of merger and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective office.”
The Commission, therefore, urged APC to note the key issues raised for compliance.
The letter by INEC is considered a big clog in the wheels of a plot by a bloc in the party to stage a coup against Buni, who duly transferred power to Governor Sani Bello of Niger state, to enable him to attend briefly to health issues, according to a leaked letter on Thursday.
Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i had indicated on a TV programme Wednesday night that Buni was pushed aside because he was working against holding the APC’s planned National Convention, a claim Buni’s letter, dated February 28, 2022, and addressed to CECPC members, countered.
INEC’s letter read, “Please refer to your letter Ref.APC/NHDQ/INEC/019/022/32, dated 8th March 2022.
“The Commission draws your attention to the fact that the notice for the meeting was not signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the CECPC contrary to the provision of the Article 1.1.3 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Party Operations (2018).
“Furthermore, the APC is reminded of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger’ and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective office.
“While hoping these issues are noted for compliance, please accept the assurance of the Commission’s warm regards.
