There are emerging indications that Gov. Mai Mala Buni, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) has closed rank with Abubakar Sani Bello, governor of Niger State who Monday last week, declared himself acting chairman of the committee after taking over the party’s national secretariat.
This is as Buni has refuted an earlier statement which discarded the National Convention Sub-committees as recomposed in his absence by Gov. Bello.
The move appeared one of the strategies by the Buni camp to make concessions to his aggrieved colleagues in the CECPC.
Buni had on Thursday dumped the national convention sub-committee list earlier recomposed and inaugurated by Gov. Bello.
In his earlier statement on Thursday morning signed by the National Secretary of the CECPC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, Buni also removed other members of the CECPC from the Central Coordinating sub-committee, naming only himself and Senator Akpanudoedehe as Chairman and Secretary of the sub-committee respectively.
The action drew the ire of the Bello camp which immediately issued a statement announcing the sack of Sen. Akpanudoedehe.
Bello had, in Buni’s absence, on March 9 inaugurated about 20 sub-committees, declaring their membership composition as final.
However, in a statement personally signed by him, Gov. Buni said he duly transmitted powers to Gov. Bello and so all the latter’s actions are in order.
He was, however, silent on the decision of the CECPC under Bello to sack Akpanudoedehe as national secretary, even as there indications that key members of the committee are plotting to remove him.
Recall that key stakeholders in the CECPC passed a Vote of no Confidence on him.
This was contained in a letter dated March 8 and jointly signed by Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger, Sen. Ken Nnamani, Sen. Yusuf Abubakar, Prof. Tahir Mamman, Sen. Abba Ali, Mr David Lyon, Mr Akinremi Olaide, Mrs Stella Okotete and Mr Ismaeel Ahmed.
The CECPC members in the letter made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, said “We members of the APC CECPC as duly constituted on June 25, 2020, by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party and sitting in our regular meeting on March 8, hereby unanimously resolved and adopted a motion of Vote of No Confidence on the secretary of the committee, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe.”
Meanwhile, Buni’s statement recognising Bello’s appointees reads; “This is to bring to the notice of all stakeholders and members of the party that the purported suspension of some activities initiated and executed by the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under the acting Chairman and Niger State Governor, H.E. Muhammed Sani Bello, is not true.
“Therefore, all activities that were done in my absence remain valid and binding. All-Party Stakeholders and members are hereby advised to disregard the previous statement discarding the activities of the Committee under the leadership of the Acting Chairman.
“It could be recalled that I had duly transmitted power to His Excellency, the Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello to enable me to undergo medical attention. Therefore, all actions and measures taken by the Committee under his leadership as Acting Chairman, remain effective.
“The Party calls for support and understanding to move the Party forward to a successful Convention slated for March 26th, 2022.”