Buni Gets Buhari, APC Governors’ Nod To Preside Over National Convention

Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, who is the Chairman, Care­taker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Con­gress (APC), will preside over the February 26 national convention.

A credible source told Daily Independent that President Muhammadu Buhari and governors elected on the platform of the APC, under the aegis of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), have given approval to the Buni-led Caretaker Committee to take charge of the convention. ­

There has been clamour by some members of the party seeking Buni’s remov­al as the APC chairman fol­lowing the Supreme Court’s judgment on the Ondo State governorship election last year.

However, Buni has won all the cases in court, the recent being the ruling of a Federal High Court sitting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, which struck out a suit chal­lenging the competence of the caretaker committee.

When asked if Buni will still preside over the conven­tion, our source said, “Yes, Buni and his team in the caretaker committee will preside over the convention. The APC governors have passed a vote of confidence on the committee on several occasions and they still did that about two weeks ago.

“The issue of whether there will be any negative consequence if Buni pre­sides over the convention has been put to rest as it has been clarified that his position as acting chairman of the com­mittee is not contrary to the provision of section 183 of the constitution.

“It has also been settled because the Supreme Court affirmed that his position as caretaker chairman is held temporarily, which is not akin to executive office or paid employment as envis­aged by section 183 of the constitution”.
Also on Thursday, the APC State Assembly Legis­lators of the North-West zone endorsed Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State for Pres­ident in 2023.
Their endorsement was communicated in a com­muniqué issued after the extraordinary meeting of the forum, which had in at­tendance former House of Assembly members of the North-West zone.

It was read by the former speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Mr. Ahmed Marafa, in Abuja on Thursday.

The North-West legisla­tors also urged the APC Care­taker Extraordinary Conven­tion Planning Committee to zone the party’s presidency to the North.

Marafa said that the North-West legislators agreed to support their col­leagues in the North-Cen­tral for the 2023 presidency, saying the zone had been deprived of the number one position since Nigeria’s inde­pendence in 1960.

Independent