Supreme Court verdict: APC insists on Buni eligibility to hold party office

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC has again insisted on the eligibility of Yobe state governor, Mallam Mai Mala Buni to combine both the office of governor and acting national chairman of the party, concurrently.

A member of the CECPC who incidentally is the Chairman of the APC Constitution Review Committee, Professor Mamman Tahir restated this position in a statement on Thursday.

Checks revealed that in a minority judgement by the Supreme Court on the petition filed by the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the last October governorship election in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN challenging the eligibility of Governor Buni to sign the nomination form of Rotimi Akeredolu, the trio of Justices Mary Peter-Odili, Justices Ejembi Eko and Ibrahim Saulawa declared that Akeredolu’s election should have been nullified, while the appellants, (PDP and Jegede)  declared winner of the October 20, 2020 governorship poll.

Justice Eko, further maintained that Buni violated the Constitution, when as a sitting governor, still acted as Chairman of the APC by submitting Akeredolu’s name to INEC for purposes of the governorship poll.

The APC in a statement on Thursday maintained that Buni’s combination of his elective position as Yobe state governor and acting chairman of the ruling party was in order based on the majority judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, JSC.

The statement, “CECPC on firm ground’ submitted that the lead judgement ruled that “That sponsorship of a candidate in an election is that of the party and not the individual Officer of the party forwarding the name of the candidate.

“That the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party is empowered to create, elect and appoint Committees (including the instant CECPC) or any other committee it may deem necessary to act in any capacity. “

The CECPC in the statement by Professor Tahir consequently argued that “On the strength of all the above position of the Supreme Court in the instant case and other earlier decided cases cited in support, it is our opinion that the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni is on firm ground to proceed with its mandate as given by the National Executive Committee of the APC.”

Further checks by Nigerian Tribune revealed that the governors on the platform of the APC under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum are expected to meet today in Abuja.

The meeting scheduled to hold at the Kebbi state Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro Abuja is to review both the lead and minority judgements of the apex court and take a position ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari return to the country.

A party source told Nigerian Tribune that an emergency meeting of the party stakeholders is expected to hold next week at the instance of President Buhari to decide the fate of the CECPC.

 

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