Supreme Court: Suspense As APC Leaders Wait On Buhari

Supreme Court: Suspense As APC Leaders Wait On Buhari

The last may not have been heard of the cloud of uncertainty surrounding the legality of Yobe Governor, Mai Mala Buni, serving as chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) following the resolution of party stakeholders to allow President Muhammadu Buhari decide what becomes of his headship in the party when he returns from his London trip.

Though APC governors, under the umbrella of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), passed vote of confidence in Governor Buni, sources told Daily Sun that they did so, in the interim, to fly a kite and paper the crack within the party while waiting for the President final verdict.

It was learnt that the governors forum and party camps adopted patch-up measures to stabilise the situation until the President returns before taking a final decision on the issue.

It was further gathered that part of the problems which deepened the crisis was the rejection of popular suggestions to throw the congresses open instead of settling for a consensus arrangement, a development which angered stakeholders like Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, who escalated the situation.

Supreme Court: Suspense As APC Leaders Wait On Buhari

“All that has been done to this extent were just measures to tarry awhile for Mr. President to return. The tension and uncertainty surrounding Governor Buni’s future in the party is still a serious concern to many party stakeholders. The initial decision was to discontinue with the rest of the congress activities until Mr. President returns from his trip, but we had to jettison it because such a decision might send the wrong signal.

“The governors and the national leadership of the party may have passed a confidence vote on Governor Buni, but it is not yet uhuru for him, and I can tell you that the last has not been heard of the circumstances surrounding the legal implication of his position in the party.

“The truth is that the leadership went too far in handling the ward congresses wrongly, by ignoring the popular suggestions to throw the contest open at that level. They instead insisted on consensus arrangements, which angered certain persons that escalated the situation to this disturbing extent the party is currently undergoing. Truth be told, whatever we have done now is just an interim measure to paper the crack and control the situation from escalating further while waiting for Mr. President. In fairness to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, he has been able to deploy every legal instrument to douse the tension created by the Supreme Court judgement. The good thing is that he will still be the person to advise Mr. President on the best legal position to take in handling the matter. However, there is no respite for Governor Buni yet until Mr President returns,” the source who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

Aware that Governor Buni’s future still hangs in the balance, the governors had, in a statement signed by the Forum Chairman, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, declared unalloyed loyalty and support to Governor Buni’s continued leadership of the ruling party, insisting that the Supreme Court judgment does not portend any threat to activities and programmes of the party.