The All Progressives Congress (APC) is heading to an implosion due to another impending leadership crisis that may soon rock the ruling party.
This is as the Governor Mai-Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extra-ordinary National Convention Planning Committee has not shown any plan to organize national convention to elect new National Working Committee (NWC) two months to its expiry date.
The Caretaker Committee was constituted in June, following the dissolution of the then Adams Oshiomhole led-NWC on the recommendations of President Muhammadu Buhari at the APC virtual National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting with the mandate to amongst others, organise a convention within six months to elect new National Officers of the party.
The NEC’s decision was predicated on the leadership crisis that befall the party after the Supreme Court upheld the suspension of Oshiomhole, thereby creating a vacuum that led to emergence of apparel National Chairmen.
Recall that after Oshiomhole’s suspension, some NWC members loyal to him pronounced the late Deputy National Chairman (South), Abiola Ajimobi as Acting National Chairman and Hilliard Eta, former National Vice Chairman South/South held brief for him while the then Deputy National Secretary, Victor Giadom also assumed the position of Acting National Chairman.
It was in the wake of this that NEC constituted the Caretaker Committee with Governor Buni as Chairman and Akpan Udoedehe as Secretary, amongst other members against the APC Constitution which does not provide for Caretaker leadership.
The Committee had boasted of reconciling life threatening challenges for the party in 11 states across the country and ensuring the return of political heavy weights such as the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, former Peoples Democratic (PDP) National Chairman, Barnabas Gemade, several members of the National Assembly which part of its mandate.
However, its other cardinal mandate of organizing national convention to elect new leadership for the party has remained uncertain as there seems to be no plan in place for that despite the recent 14 days ultimatum by Concerned APC Members.
Concerned APC Members had on October 12 given the Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee 14 days ultimatum to roll out plan of action/timetable for the party’s December elective convention, or face mass demonstration of party members nationwide.
The group at a press conference addressed by its Spokesperson, Abdullahi Dauda alleged that the Caretaker Committee was already scheming to extend its tenure for another one year and asked President Buhari to call the Buni team to order before it buries the party.
“We are Concerned APC members, who have watched with amazement and disillusionment for several months the inability of the APC Caretaker Committee to provide direction for the party and set up timetable for December elective convention.
“We are not out to discredit the conscientious efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari and his team that have taken commendable steps to fight for the progress of the party by setting up the present Caretaker Committee to save the party from internal crisis but to bring to his notice that there are certain areas that the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee has failed outright, especially as it concerns the non-compliance to the scheduled December National Convention. We are less than two months away from the December deadline and no meaningful plan is in place for the much awaited convention.
“Recall that the Committee led by Mai Mala Buni was inaugurated to carry out two critical challenges faced by our great party. One was for it to reconcile aggrieved members and second, was to conduct a National Convention by December 2020.
“The Buni-led Committee has shown in its actions that tenure elongation is its priority and being stakeholders in the party, we see the urgent need to speak out loudly on time to save our party from another round of self inflicted crisis. It is as our responsibility to speak up for posterity sake.
“We are aware that the composition of the Committee is illegal and alien to our party’s constitution ab initio and we are aware some members are in court already as regards that anomaly but due to our respect for Mr. President, we allowed the process as a child of necessity and supported it but the present action and body language of the Committee necessitated our press conference today”, the Concerned APC members maintained.
The group however, suspended its planned nationwide protests at the expiration of the ultimatum because of the prevailing mood of the nation occasioned by the #EndSARS protests and calls by various party leaders.
Efforts to find out whether the Caretaker Committee would organize national convention or not and what the party may do after the expiration of the six months tenure proved abortive as the Deputy National Publicity, Yekini Nabena could not be reached and did not respond to text messages sent to him at the time of this report.
Also, Akinyemi Olaide, member representing the House of Representatives in the Committee simply told our Correspondent that: “After our next Caretaker meeting I should be able to give you a position on your questions”.
Reacting to this, a chieftain of the party who begged for anonymity said if the Caretaker could not organize convention in December for substantive NWC members to emerge, crisis would erupt in the party as many party members are already aggrieved with the constitution of the caretaker in the first place.
“The way things are going, the Buni Committee may likely not be able to hold convention and this will cause crisis to erupt in the party as we can’t continue with the unconstitutional arrangement of Caretaker.
“Even the present Committee was allowed to exist for the tremendous respect party leaders and members have for President Buhari or else it was against the party’s constitution” the APC Chieftain stated.
