APC not ‘good example in internal democracy’, CNPP warns

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “ought to be a good example in internal party democracy in Nigeria for other political parties to emulate,” Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) said, yesterday, regretting, however: “The reverse is the case.”

Reacting to the current APC leadership crisis, CNPP, in a statement by Secretary-General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, warned: “If APC is not adequately checked by both Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the judiciary, the party will definitely derail the country’s democracy through its many procedural pitfalls in operation and administration of the party.”

It also urged President Muhammadu Buhari “to learn to jettison any advice urging him to interfere with his party’s internal democracy without recourse to the rule of law.”

CNPP added: “The arbitrary and obviously unconstitutional move to remove Governor Mai Mala Buni as the national chairman of APC’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is capable of leading to a major crisis in the party, which can jeopardise the country’s democracy, in view of the timetable released by INEC for the 2023 general elections.”

THIS was as a socio-political organisation, Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, described the leadership crisis in the party as a big concern to Nigerians, warning: “All these despicable backstabbing should cease forthwith. And if not, our leadership forum will do the needful by moving our millions of supporters and members away.

President of the forum, Akin Malaolu, added: “We are worried about the desperation exhibited so far and the war of words within the ranks of the ruling APC. And even more, concerning are the fact that every leader believes he or she should control both the body and the soul of the party. That to us is clear desperation on one side and lack of discipline on the other.”

RUMBLINGS in the party were felt in the South West as some stakeholders dismissed a recent statement by a former member of the House of Representatives (Oyo State), Lateef Ali, who claimed that a group, under the aegis of APC Elders’ Council (South West), declared it would not recognise Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello CECPC national chairman.

The statement had described “any other person laying claim to Governor Buni’s position” as a “usurper, who would be challenged in a court of law with the prospect of being disgraced.”

But an APC chieftain and former Ogun State Governor Segun Osoba told The Guardian on the telephone that he was not aware South West Elders of APC met anywhere after a meeting held at Lagos State House Marina on May 23, 2021.

He added: “No such position was taken anywhere regarding the ongoing controversies surrounding the party’s leadership in the South West.”

Also, APC director of publicity in the region, Mr. Ayo Afolabi, said: “Ali, being a former member of the House of Representatives, does not qualify to be in South West leaders’ forum. He couldn’t have, in the first instance, issued such a weighty statement on behalf of South West APC leaders.”

On his part, the immediate past state caretaker committee chairman in Oyo, Chief Akin Oke, dismissed Ali’s statement, saying, “I am not aware of such group in the South West.”

The new state chairman of Oyo APC, Mr. Isaac Omodewu, clarified: “There is no denying the fact that Buni officially transmitted power to Bello to act while he was away in the United Arab Emirates for medical attention.”

According to him, “There is no controversy as per leadership of the party. Bello is in acting capacity while Buni is away for medical attention, and the national convention will go as planned.”

MEANWHILE, Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe and former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido have disagreed on the usefulness of the contentious section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, which Buhari had requested members of the National Assembly to expunge.

Abaribe believed the President was “misadvised to call for the section to be deleted”. He described it as one of the major reforms introduced to strengthen democracy and urged Nigerians to study the Act to appreciate the job members of the National Assembly did to produce a “good piece of legislation.”

But Lamido criticised the lawmakers for using their position to flex muscle with (state) governors and urged them to hearken to Buhari’s request by deleting the controversial section from the Act.

Both Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders spoke separately to The Guardian in Lagos and Abuja.

Abaribe, a fourth-term senator, who has declared intention to contest the Abia State governorship election next year, said: “What that section does is that it codifies what was already supposed to be the norm of our society. Usually, if you want to run for election, the norm used to be that you would resign; you wouldn’t sit in the office and use state resources to run.

“But there is an aspect of that legislation, which people talk about, which I do not think is in the law. No law is made to be retrospective, so, section 84(12) doesn’t say that you ought to have resigned three months before the congress or convention. That is not what is in the law.

“What is actually in the law is that if you are going to be a delegate for the purpose of primaries or you are going to be an aspirant or contestant for the purpose of primaries, you will have to resign.”

But Lamido said many Nigerians expected members of the National Assembly to have done better. He was particularly miffed at the leadership of the Senate, which he said should have given better direction to the legislative process.

He said: “It is better to do the right thing. By so doing, you preserve the authority of the institution for the purposes of making good laws for Nigeria. I think the President is right. It is Buhari, who is telling them their law is defective, in contrast to the Nigerian Constitution; I just can’t believe that. It is laughable and very embarrassing. Most of them are old civil servants, professors, and lawyers. This is because they have been blinded by their ambition and they begin to address issues, which are even illegal and against the Constitution.

“So, I see what they have done as a huge embarrassment to their individual personalities and to the institution of lawmaking because you can see the desperation of trying to cling to power.”