21-day Notice: Group allege secret plans by ‘APC cabal’ to force backdated letter on INEC

The Coalition of Independent Observers says it has uncovered a plan by some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to impose a backdated letter on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to the group, the letter purportedly written by the National Secretray to INEC, will be doctored in such a way that it will meet up with the provisions for the 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention.

The observers, which made its stance known at a press conference in Abuja, also said the ultimate is to undermine the nation’s democracy.

In his address, Abdullahi Bilal, the group’s
Executive Director said INEC would be coerced into recognizing the said letter and would ultimately reverse its earlier stance that it had not been properly issued the statutory 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention

Bilal, in clear terms, said Governor Nasir El-Rufai is behind this fresh plot to destabilize the party and force Governor Mai Bala Buni out of office.

“Gentlemen of the press, because there has been no consequences for the criminal acts that these members of the cabal have been engaged in, they have moved to implementing an even more dangerous phase of the their evil plot. They have concluded plans to backdate a letter purportedly written by the National Secretray to INEC sometimes ago in order to meet up with the provisions for the 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention,” he said.

“INEC would then be coerced to into recognizing the forged letter and on the strength of that reverse its earlier stance that it has not been properly issued the statutory 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention. Certain staff of the Commission have been promised juicy postings for them to accept responsibility for not properly filing the letter when it purportedly arrived on time. It is on the strength of this ploy that the El-Rufai faction of the party is pushing ahead with the convention even though it has not met the conditions necessary to do so.

“In clear terms, a faction of the APC led by Nasir El-Rufai is about to commit forgery in addition to the serial violation of the Electoral Act that it has already committed.

“We are aware that they have also commissioned a media team to launch a campaign of calumny against INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as part of a plot to remove him from the position for daring to assert INEC’s independence with the manner he rejected the change in CECPC leadership.

“With the spillover to attempting to manipulate INEC, Nigerians must now wake up and realize that the rampaging cabal is no longer the problem of APC alone. It will undermine the 2023 General Elections unless it is quickly brought under control. We are in critical times”.

The observers, therefore, urged Nigerians to “unite in resisting any attempt to make INEC act on a forged letter”.

Bilal further said “ we must also send a strong message that the INEC Chairman and Commissioners must not be victimized for doing the job they were appointed to do”.

Lekki deep seaport to begin commercial operations by September, Amaechi sets pace for expansion

The  Lekki deep seaport will be completed and begin commercial activities in six months from now.

The project which will be commissioned by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration when completed and operational, would contribute $360 billion to the Nigerian economy over the course of 45 years.

This was disclosed Sunday in Lagos after the inspection of the project by the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi. He expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, noting that the port was the first of its kind in Nigeria.

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Amaechi said the deep seaport was “a privately funded project, over time, they (contractors) will collect their revenue from the commercial activities before they hand over to the Federal Government.

“But obviously taxes will be collected here, even them (Contractors) will pay taxes, I am not sure there were any taxes mentioned in the agreement, but I doubt there is any tax exemption.

“So, we will collect taxes here, the confidence in giving them the project is because of the taxes that we will collect here that will help us in the construction of other projects.”

The Minister assured that the contractors will  recover the money invested in the project and will contribute to the GDP of the nation annually.

He said the project will contribute over “$360 billion over the years. It sounds much, but we actually need more of that money to accomplish what we want to achieve.”

On the expansion of the seaport, the Minister complained that the port was not spacious enough to accommodate high-level economic activities in years to come.

“It also depends on how much the economy will grow before then. The growth of the economy will put pressure on the expansion. The argument we had in cabinet is that the need for a deep seaport at Lekki was a result of the fact that the demand for port activities in the country has exceeded the supply of tincan and Apapa around Lagos.

“This is the first seaport in Nigeria, what we had all these other ones are river ports. The tincan is a river port, the Apapa is a river port and Port Harcourt. Right here you have 16.5 meters drafts which is good for the country, but the country needs more than just one of these ports because of the increase in commercial activities in the future.

We need just more than Lagos deep seaport and for me, before I leave office I will emphasise on the construction of the Bonny deep seaport,” he stated.

Amaechi also lamented that he would have loved to connect the Lekki deep seaport to a rail line but funding of rail projects was currently a challenge for Nigeria.

As a Minister of Transportation, I imagine a lot of things that I could have implemented. I imagined that the Lagos-Calabar rail line would start from here, that was my imagination. But the Lagos-Calabar rail project needs $11.1 billion funding”, adding that there were no such funds at the moment for the project.

He advised the Port Contractors to invest in the rail sector too. “Another advise I could give is if they want to invest, they can invest in rail and then the government will either do tax reduction or do something to help them.

“If we get the 11.1billion as it is, we would probably have to divert the rail line, because Lagos-Calabar rail line actually goes into Lagos city, we can divert it to come to the seaport in Lekki,” he stated.

Amaechi revealed that the deep port will be completed in June and operational by September 2022.

Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise (LPLE) signed a 45-year concession agreement with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in April 2011, to develop, build, own, operate and transfer the Lekki deepsea port project under the Nigerian Ports Authority Act 2004.

LPLE is a joint venture of Tolaram Group (75%), Lagos State Government (20%), and the Nigerian Ports Authority (5%).

US-based company Louis Berger was contracted by Tolaram Group to serve as the project management consultant. The scope of the contract includes design, construction and commissioning of all marine and landside port facilities.

China Harbour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise (CHELE), a subsidiary of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), is responsible for the design and construction of the marine and landside infrastructure for the container terminal and utilities.

The CMA CGM Group signed a memorandum of agreement with LPLE in April 2018 to operate the Lekki port’s container terminal.

Lekki port project benefits
Lekki deepsea port will create approximately 170,000 direct and indirect jobs. It will also generate up to $201bn revenue to state and federal agencies through taxes, duties and royalties.

The port is expected to develop direct and induced business revenue of $158bn and contribute an aggregate of $361bn to the Nigerian economy.

Observers score APC’S leader low over failed attempt to remove leadership

The Coalition of Independent Observers have cried out over plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to desecrate the electoral acts.

The group also scored the APC Leadership low over attempts to remove the party leadership through unconstitutional means.

Convener of situation room, Abdullahi Bilal who spoke with newsmen in Abuja said there is a need for a shift in attitude and response to what is happening in the APC.

He said this is the time to move from treating the party’s crisis as a spectator event as the consequences of what is going on in APC would impact all citizens.  

He said when those behind these problems are done with the APC they would invariably turn on Nigeria.

He said elections, whether general or party primaries, are important processes that differentiate democracy from autocracy and dictatorships.

 “The APC has been placed on this trajectory in recent months and we fear that if nothing is done to reverse the situation, it would not matter what the electorate decide to do during the 2023 General Elections, those eradicating internal democracy in the APC would come out to ensure that votes do not count.

“We had a taste of how these people behave going by the way they insist on holding the APC elective national convention without meeting statutory conditions stipulated in the Electoral Act and the party’s own constitution. 

“At the forefront of this rampaging autocrats is the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who incidentally was at the forefront of the death of internal democracy that killed the PDP. We will not be surprised if the desperation with which he is pursing an autocratic installation of the next government is derived by his desire to return to power at the federal level in order to continue the implementation of anti-people policies that can only thrive in a stifled democracy” he said.

Bilal said the fears of Independent Monitors about the prospects of Nigeria defending into full blown dictatorship is coalescing into reality owing to a return to an era where coups are now considered fashionable.  

“We are witnesses to how El-Rufai, acting with a handful of other unrepentant dictators, purportedly claimed to have removed the Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni and replaced him with his Niger state counterpart, Abubakar Sani Bello. 

“That illegal move was packaged to appear as having the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is now to all intent an hostage at the hands of El-Rufai and his cabal. This aspect is one that Nigerians must immediately revolt against since they did not elect the Kaduna state governor as president.

“Gentlemen of the press, while it is worrisome that a cabal came out to claim it has removed Buni from office without recourse to the law and processes, what should put the fear of God into all of us is the fact that El-Rufai and his co-travelers have the audacity to insist that what they want is what must happen irrespective of its illegality.  It is their own way of reminding us that they have always lived above the law and they have no plan of ever being law abiding” he added

The Monitors commended  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which it said  has so far stood its ground and insisted that it will not recognize any leadership of the CECPC that did not emerge through recognized processes.

 “It affirmed that it is only the signatures of Buni as CECPC chairman and Senator John Akpanudoedehe it will recognize for correspondences with the APC. It has also insisted on being given the statutory notices, especially the 21 day-notice of intent to hold a national convention, for it to be able to monitor the event in accordance with the law.  

This singular act of patriotism by INEC has given a lifeline to democracy in Nigeria but the threat to our freedom of choice as a people has not disappeared but only hibernating as El-Rufai and his associates returned to the drawing board to design fresh evils against democracy in Nigeria.  

“We have reliably learnt that those in INEC that did not allow the cabal to have its way “would be dealt with to teach a lesson”. They are planning to drop as many INEC Commissioners that sided with the law against illegality. Their resolve is to find trump up charges to use as basis to replace these commissioners. They are also planning to force a massive internal reshuffle on the Commission so that stooges that are loyal to them will take over Political Parties Monitoring. These are being planned so that future illegalities they have in mind can sail through unchallenged. 

The Coalition of Independent Observers is therefore urging and appealing to Nigerians to rally behind INEC in show of support so that the cabal will not take away that Commission’s resolve to stand on the side of truth. 

“Even as the moves continue to undermine INEC and by consequence the Electoral Act, we want to place on record our disappointment with President Buhari, especially in view of the tepid statement issued by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, which failed to condemn the usurpation by El-Rufai and his group. We are also disappointed that the President joined the cabal in asserting that the leadership of the party and scheduling of convention date is not for party members to decide as this is the highest form of dictatorship. This arrogance may yet result in party members leaving the leaders to go vote at the polls so that we will see if they can have the number of votes that can only come from loyal party members. 

“We are further disappointed that Mr. President  did not 7use the statement issued on his behalf to distance himself from the attempted coup that made Bello to be parading himself as CECPC chairman. This nonchalant response to the issue has emboldened the cabal to go for broke as they interpreted the President’s silence on the matter as an endorsement of their irresponsible behavior that now threatens democracy in Nigeria.  

“It is disheartening that the statement sort of confirmed that a sitting president is directing his party to violate the law by insisting that the convention would go ahead on March 26 when INEC has made it clear that it had no notice to that effect.  This would be eroding confidence in INEC if the president can by fiat overrule the electoral body.

In our view, this intervention is pointless and should not have been made in the first place since it did not address the core issues of illegality and dictatorial behavior on the part of the members of the cabal.

“Gentlemen of the press, because there has been no consequences for the criminal acts that these members of the cabal have been engaged in, they have moved to implementing an even more dangerous phase of the their evil plot. They have concluded plans to backdate a letter purportedly written by the National Secretray to INEC sometimes ago in order to meet up with the provisions for the 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention. 

“INEC would then be coerced to into recognizing the forged letter and on the strength of that reverse its earlier stance that it has not been properly issued the statutory 21-day notice of intent to hold a national convention.  Certain staff of the Commission have been promised juicy postings for them to accept responsibility for not properly filing the letter when it purportedly arrived on time. It is on the strength of this ploy that the El-Rufai faction of the party is pushing ahead with the convention even though it has not met the conditions necessary to do so.

“In clear terms, a faction of the APC led by Nasir El-Rufai is about to commit forgery in addition to the serial violation of the Electoral Act that it has already committed.  

“We are aware that they have also commissioned a media team to launch a campaign of calumny against INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as part of a plot to remove him from the position for daring to assert INEC’s independence with the manner he rejected the change in CECPC leadership.

“With the spillover to attempting to manipulate INEC, Nigerians must now wake up and realize that the rampaging cabal is no longer the problem of APC alone. It will undermine the 2023 General Elections unless it is quickly brought under control. We are in critical times.

“We therefore urge Nigerians to unite in resisting any attempt to make INEC act on a forged letter. We must also send a strong message that the INEC Chairman and Commissioners must not be victimized for doing the job they were appointed to do” he said

APC Crisis: Desperate cabal out to procure court injunction against Buni, group alleges

The APC Youth Development and Solidarity Network has alleged that some cabals are desperately out to procure a court injunction against the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under Governor Mai Mala Buni. 

The group said a whopping N5 Billion Naira has been earmarked for the purpose.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, the group led by Tobias Ogbeh, Secretary General said the plan  is aimed at causing an uprising within the APC and the country at large in pursuit of an ambition built on deceit and the quest for power through the back door. 

Ogbeh said “As we may be aware, some governors within the party have attempted to change the leadership of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under Governor Mai Mala Buni. 

“As despicable as this might sound, there has been an attempt at effecting a change in the leadership of the party, not on the strength of the interest of the party, but in furtherance of a blind ambition towards taking over the party structure through the back door in the buildup to the 2023 general elections. 

“We wish to state that we have it on good authority that since the humiliation suffered by the sponsors of the failed leadership change in the party, there have been concerted efforts to use the instrument of the court to achieve their objective of effecting a change in the leadership of the party. 

“We wish to inform all APC stakeholders and members of the general public that part of the new plot is to secure a court judgement through the back door that would sack the party’s leadership from office. The scheme, which is heavily funded by a serving Minister and presidential aspirant from the South south , has earmarked close to 5 billion naira for this purpose. 

“We have credible information that the overarching plot is to cause an embarrassment to President Muhammadu Buhari, who from all indications was not in support of the leadership change and never gave his blessings as been speculated in the media by the brains behind the despicable plot” he said

Ogbeh also alerted members of the public as well as the security agencies that the sum of 2.5 billion naira has been earmarked as payment for the lawyers  that would initiate the process, as well as reaching out to the willing judge, who would, in turn, be rewarded with the sum of 2. 5 billion naira. The plan is for the judge to give an injunction against the Chairman of the CECPC that would pave the way for a change in the party’s leadership through the back door. Part of the plan is to secretly obtain this order without service on the parties in a way of exparte motion. 

“This is unacceptable for a serving Minister  of the APC to lead this plot against a party through which he actualized his ambition of being a Minister for almost 8 years despite the odds against him. 

“We wish to use this medium to call all relevant security agencies and anti-corruption agencies to be on the watch out for this despicable plot to undermine democracy. The Nigerian Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Department of State Security should be on alert in this regard as the plot has reached an advanced stage. 

“The general public is also encouraged to be on the watch as the manifestation of this plot would gather steam soonest. It is our considered opinion that this Minister and some governors are desperate to secure the court injunction to secure a change in the party’s leadership. 

“It remains embarrassing that these governors have elected to throw caution in the wind in pursuing an ambition built on deceit and the incurable quest for power at all cost and not minding whose ox is gored. 

“They have carried on like demigods, not minding that they have performed woefully in their various states. To think that they want to impose this malaise on the party is most despicable and should be resisted by all well-meaning members of the APC and the country at large” he added 

Ogbeh said the party’s interest must come first, and  Nigerians must come to terms with the stark reality before us to stand up for the truth in the perseverance of the life of the APC as a party of progressive-minded people. 

“The general public must be aware of this despicable plot hence this press conference to raise public awareness of the plot to undermine the efforts made by the Mai Mala Buni leadership of the APC. 

“We want to use this medium to sound a note of warning to judges and justices in the legal profession to refuse to be used as pawns to truncate the democratic processes in Nigeria. The implication of allowing themselves to be used by some APC governors indeed portends grave danger for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. However, we are confident in the judiciary’s integrity to stand for justice and equity” he added 

APC Convention: Inauguration of sub-committees by Buni, CECPC contempt of court, claimant tells Court

The thick cloud of uncertainty surrounding the March 26th national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be getting thicker by the day, mounting pressure on the stakeholders of the party to rework a new date that will guarantees a hitch-free convention

Information reaching us from the FCT High Court, Abuja has it that the claimant in the case instituted against the APC, CECPC and his lawyers have approached the court to commit Gov. Mai Mallam Buni and every member of the CECPC to prison for violating the Court Order stopping the Convention.

The claimant informed the court that the mere inauguration of sub-committees for the March 26 National Convention when the order of the honourable court is in force is a demonstration of the APC’s disdain for the rule of law in the country.

Whilst 30th March was fixed for the continuation of hearing, no date has been fixed for the commencement of contempt proceedings against the APC.

The claimant also commended INEC for standing by the provisions of the law and the order of the court which is still in force.

Recall that the electoral umpire, INEC, had yesterday, 11/03/2022/ written to the APC, insisting that the commission does not recognize Abu Bello’s leadership, and also informed the APC that it has not performed one of the requisite requirements for a valid NEC meeting or National Convention.

In the letter signed by Rose Onaran Anthony, Secretary to the Commission, the attention of the APC was drawn to section 82(1) of the electoral act which provides, “Every registered political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days’ notice ofany convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of “merger” and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this Act”.

The implication of the above provision is that the APC will have to send a fresh letter of 21 Days notification to INEC the moment the Court Order is vacated in order to hold its national convention.

Our source at INEC also hinted our correspondent that the Commission remains one of the most law abiding body and will not do anything to jeopardize the interest of Justice in the land.

Senior lawyers who spoke to our correspondent also highlighted that the inability of APC to vacate the court order and send the 21days notice in fulfillment of the requisite constitutional requirements will render the party’s March 26 national convention invalid in the eyes of the law. It was also noted that the party leadership risked imprisonment for contempt of court when they went ahead with convention plans against a subsisting court order restraining the party from doing so.

Some of the senior lawyers have also advised the APC to postpone the National Convention indefinitely and focus on the forthcoming primaries so as to produce candidates for the 2023 General Elections.

Akerodolu: Yahoo plus governors and the rule of law

By Idoko Ainoko

I was surprised sometime back when the governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, made a strong case for the legalization of cannabis in the country, but not anymore. The recent events in the state and his public utterances indeed justified my new position.

We all know some of the effects of acute consumption of cannabis, and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu might be exhibiting some of these symptoms. I say this after stumbling on a supposed press statement credited to him regarding that supposed change of guards in the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The press statement was not only comical; it further heightened the popular notion that some governors in the country are patrons of cannabis, hence why tangible development has continued to elude us.

He sounded like a drunk who suddenly woke up from the gutter after a long drinking spell in the press statement. He was neither here nor there, and one could hardly place a finger on the message he was trying to pass across. The fact that he gave out the identity of those demigods within the APC that wanted Governor Mai Mala Buni out by all means necessary is not just despicable; it reinforces the belief that some deplorable individuals rode on the wings of the APC to position themselves as progressives, while in truth they are detractors.

It is funny that he bears the title of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and yet he made some uncomplimentary remarks about the judiciary. It is also funny that he described some of his fellow governors as yahoo yahoo governors trying to secure a black market judgment.

This is the beauty of the truth. Maybe as the lawyer, he claimed to be, his years of practice have been characterized by yahoo enterprise and not competence. It is, therefore, not surprising that such an individual that can be termed a yahoo patron could easily identify the yahoo tendencies.

In his words: “Succinctly, aside from feeling delighted as a major stakeholder in the latest successful Rescue Mission, I express my confidence in the ability and capacity of Governor Sanni Bello(ABU LOLO) to take APC through. We, the Governors, are for the party except for the few “Yahoo, Yahoo” Governors (apologies to Salihu, former DG of the Progressive Governors’ Forum) who were hand in glove with Buni to circumvent the will of the majority of our Party (APC) members. Progressive Governors in the true name, mostly all of us, are determined to see our Party through these patchy parts at all cost.”

It is indeed the trajectory of foolery for Rotimi Akeredolu to assume that he is a progressive governor. I doubt if he understands the meaning of progressive. Maybe his definition of progressive is to plot coups to subvert the people’s will. Funny again that he confessed that he is a part of the governors under the Rescue Mission. Maybe he meant a coup mission. Again I can understand that he is always under the influence of cannabis that has altered his sense of judgment in deciphering between good and evil.

I can guess that his emphasis on the phrase “yahoo” is probably because that is his turf before he became governor and as governor. And as such, he tells all that cares to listen that what happened in the supposed change of leadership at the APC is a manifestation of “Yahoo Plus.”

If this is not the case, how could one possibly come to terms with how a group of governors in the blind pursuit for the soul of the party would throw caution in the wind and attempt to rubbish the laudable efforts of Governor Mai Mala Buni in repositioning the party after a tumultuous era that almost set the party on the path of extinction.

If after several months of efforts at pacifying warring factions within that party by Governor Mai Mala Buni is not appreciated, at least the fact that he is a fellow governor who agreed to stand in the gap for the party in times of need should be respected. Yes, it is understandable that political scheming is the order of the day in the buildup to the general elections in 2023, but that should not becloud our sense of reasoning.

Take it or leave it, what the likes of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his cohorts have succeeded in doing is a coup against democracy. As the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni indeed ruffled feathers, but for the party’s interest. He stood his ground to ensure that the APC was well repositioned in preparation for the general elections in 2023.

And what did he get in return? He got betrayal and character assassination from some governor in the mould of Rotimi Akeredolu. They are constantly under the influence of cannabis and cheap alcohol. For them, it should be business as usual. Therefore Governor Mai Mala Buni must be shown the way out by all means possible.

What a shame that the President has been dragged into this despicable conduct by some APC governors with the blind and ignoble ambition to play politics, not minding whose ox is gored. It has been a regime of name dropping to the chagrin of all the APC as a party represents.

I think Governor Rotimi Akeredolu must reduce his cannabis addiction and come to terms with reality to advise himself and his co-travellers that their actions are nothing but a coup intended to serve their puerile interest. It’s funny that Governor Abubakar Bello is their preferred stooge to do their bidding, another coup expert that the good people of Niger state are contending with.

We are now aware that this move is not for the good of the party but that of some goons and baboons after the soul of the party. But they should do well to know that the world is watching as events unfold.

I wait earnestly to see what becomes of the APC after this coup. Governor Rotimi Akerdolu and his band of marauders should desist from this path of dishonour, for it is indeed a dance of shame. I make bold to say that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and his cohorts are the “Pocket-filling Black Legs in Corridors of Power.”

Ainoko wrote this piece from Kaduna.

INEC rejects Gov Bello as Chairman, Mamman as Secretary of APC CECPC

The crisis bedeviling the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) may have started yielding negative effects on the party, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected the nomination of Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State as the Chairman of Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party.

According to an inside source, Governor Bello, upon resumption as Chairman of CECPC of APC, transmitted a letter dated 8th March, 2022, informing INEC of the change of guard at the party’s national secretariat.

Bello introduced himself in the said letter as acting Chairman while Professor Tahir Mamman was introduced as the acting Secretary of the party.

Both Governor Bello and Professor Mamman were said to have signed the letter.

The source also added that the letter served as notice to the commission, of APC’s CECPC decision to hold a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for next week Thursday, 17th March, 2022.

But, in a swift reaction, the Commission was said to have replied the letter on Wednesday, 9th March, 2022, saying it was not aware of any change of guard in APC, and would not honour it, since it was not signed by the known CECPC Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni and Secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe.

The letter was signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Mrs Rose Omoa Oriaran-Anthony.

“The Commission draws your attention to the fact that the notice for the meeting was not signed by the National Chairman (Buni) and National Secretary (Akpanudoedehe) of the CECPC, contrary to the provision of the Article 1.1.3 of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Party Operations (2018).

“Furthermore, the APC is reminded of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires ‘at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of “merger” and electing members of executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective offices'”, a copy of the letter obtained by this newspaper reads.

Governor Bello’s letter, according to a source at INEC, remains strange as there was no time the Commission was invited to observe or monitor any meeting where the changes took place, hence, the letter was not honoured.

“Section 82(2-3) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) makes it mandatory for all registered political parties in Nigeria to involve INEC in any meeting, congress or convention where elections or decisions to nominate executives or governing bodies of the party shall be taken.

“The same section also provided that, in a case of replacement of any vacant position in the party, INEC must be fully involved too”, the Source added.

The source further maintained that the Commission was not invited to any meeting or Congress where Mai Buni was removed as Chairman, and as such, could not deal with what was not legally constituted.

“The APC will be heading for an illegal NEC meeting by next week by the provision of the law. It is the duty of the Commission to properly guide the party, just as it will do to any of the opposition parties”, the Source further stressed.

APC: Group carpets El- Rufai over claims on Buni’s conduct

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Group has accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of misleading party faithful and laying false claims against the embattled chairman, Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni.

The group said the governor is orchestrating a well-thought plot to sabotage Governor Buni’s efforts for his vice-presidential ambition.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Secretary-General, Patriot Adams Abel, described the Kaduna State Governor as a dictator who is all about his selfish interest and can go to any length to accomplish his mission.

Abel rubbished El-Rufai’s claims that “President Buhari and 19 out of 23 APC Governors are in support of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to boot out Buni and the CEPCC scribe”.

The group also countered El-Rufai’s statement that Buni had been removed from his office.

Abel said “El-Rufai should be sufficiently schooled to accept that the APC is not Kaduna state that he governs by fiat. APC has organs that have layers of responsibility and at no time was the power to hire and fire a caretaker chairman outsourced to El-Rufai”.

The APC Integrity Group said the governor’s assertion that his Yobe State counterpart declined to swear in state executives were also not valid.

“El-Rufai claimed that Governors and President (Buhari) directed Governor Buni to swear in state Excos elected months ago and that he never followed the order; that the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) asked him to brief them, but he did not,” Abel added.

“He further claimed that PGF did not know anything about the party. As usual, El-Rufai lied. He should have explained how Buni is supposed to swear in state excos when as many as 14 state chapters were bogged down by court cases that resulted from the kind of autocratic tendencies of the PGF. It also showed an absolute disregard for the other arms of government since the Kaduna State Governor was practically expecting his Yobe state counterpart to disregard extant court orders that forbade the swearing-in of some of the state excos he was referring to.

“He also forgot that PGF is not known to law. It is at best a cartel, a criminal one for that matter, and is in no way superior to APC stakeholders, whose wishes Buni rather implemented over that of the vicious minority that the governors are”.

The group, however, expressed surprise that “El-Rufai is denying knowledge of a lawsuit he instigated and financed against Buni when the CECPC chairman was insisting on due process in the scheduling of the convention.

Abel added that “Buni could not have hidden a bomb manufactured by El-Rufai”.

The APC Integrity Group, therefore, warned El-Rufai to stop his blackmail and leave Buni alone to run the CECPC in the fashion he ran it to reduce the crisis in the state chapters of the party.

The group, therefore, challenged El-Rufai to, in concrete terms, prove that the APC governors are opposed to Buni as chairman of CECPC.

Group promises 10million members APC rally to welcome Buni back to office

Barring any last-minute changes, about 10 million members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will welcome the Chairman, Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mla Buni, back to the party’s head office in Abuja on Monday.

The coordinator of the group said the recent hiccups in the party by some elements were targeted at eliminating Gov Buni while on his hospital bed.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, convener, Hon. Tope Musbau, said these elements resorted to blackmail and campaign of calumny to paint the governor in bad light before President Muhammadu Buhari when their initial plot failed.

According to Musbau, Buni has proven his pedigree, dedication and commitment to the growth of the party from his time as national secretary to this moment.

He said it is laughable that vested and compromised interests wanted to capitalise on his health-enforced trip to twist the party in their favour.

Musbau further described the APC leader as an upright man, a staunch disciple of President Buhari’s school of transparency, accountability and integrity.

“Everyone in Nigeria knows Buni’s pedigree as a forthright leader of the APC,” he said. “We are not surprised that evil forces who are scared of light want him out at all cost.

“Buni is too decent for the people leading this evil campaign against him. He will not fall for their antics as all they want is to rubbish Mr. President’s legacies”.

Musbau, therefore, promised that loyal party members will roll out the carpet in celebration when the Yobe Governor returns to duty.

He said millions of APC supporters across the 36 States will convene in the nation’s capital to welcome Governor Buni as he continues to lead the party to greatness.

“Our leader deserves a grand return and that’s what we have planned for him. We will sound the trumpets, hit the drums, sing and dance because what they planned for Governor Buni didn’t materialise.

“He will be ushered back to his office by over 10m party faithful who truly knows his worth and value his quality leadership. No amount of propaganda can deter the CEPCC chairman.

“We are appealing to party stalwarts to converge in their numbers on Monday. Buni’s return is a victory for our party, victory for Nigeria and victory for democracy”.

APC Searching for Judges to Vacate Court Order Stopping March 26 Convention – Source

The Legal Committee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is reportedly shopping for ‘pliable judges’ to vacate a court order stopping its elective national convention that it had scheduled for March 26, 2022, a source told SaharaReporters.

It was  gathered that a Bwari division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in suit number FCT/HC/CV/2958/2021 had restrained the ruling party from holding its convention until a substantive suit has been heard and determined.

The suit, filed by one Salisu Umoru at the court had the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe state and now-ousted chairman of the party as respondents.

“That the 1st Defendant/Respondent can only conduct its national convention after the hearing and determination of the substantive suit pending before this honourable court,” the court order seen by SaharaReporters reads.

“That in the interest of justice accelerated hearing of the substantive suit is hereby ordered.

“That this matter is hereby adjourned to the 10th day of January 2022 for hearing of the substantive suit at High Court No. 15, Kubwa, FCT-Abuja.”

An APC chieftain said the court order has hobbled the party as the court already fixed March 30, 2022 as next adjourned date.

“That means the party won’t be able to hold its convention on March 26, 2021 until another court over rule the earlier order,” he told SaharaReporters.

“With INEC having published an elections timetable, the APC is now under pressure to meet stipulated timelines failing which it may not be able to field candidates in the 2023 general elections.

“It’s so sad that this is happening at this time, the party is in serious crisis and controversies surrounding its national convention. Some high-ranking party leaders first clashed over the date for the convention, after that was settled, another crisis began over the controversial endorsement of some candidates by President Muhammadu Buhari at the behest of some Northern state governors.”

He added, “The Legal Sub-Committee of APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is now frantically shopping for corrupt judges who will hide behind legal technicalities to vacate the subsisting court order that has barred the party from holding its convention. 

“It is a serious matter because our party leaders are now seeing that the party is inching towards the 2019 Rivers and Zamfara states scenario where candidates fielded by the party were deemed ineligible. So, as things stand, the team will do all that is necessary to avert that situation. 

“Conservatively, they have voted billions of naira for that aspect. They have strategized to work with more than one judge to increase the success rate of this intervention.” Legal Team In Search Of Judges To Vacate Court Order Stopping March 26 Convention – Source 

The Legal Committee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is reportedly shopping for ‘compromised judges’ to vacate a court order stopping its elective national convention that it had scheduled for March 26, 2022, a source told SaharaReporters.

It was  gathered that a Bwari division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in suit number FCT/HC/CV/2958/2021 had restrained the ruling party from holding its convention until a substantive suit has been heard and determined.

The suit, filed by one Salisu Umoru at the court had the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe state and now-ousted chairman of the party as respondents.

“That the 1st Defendant/Respondent can only conduct its national convention after the hearing and determination of the substantive suit pending before this honourable court,” the court order seen by SaharaReporters reads.

“That in the interest of justice accelerated hearing of the substantive suit is hereby ordered.

“That this matter is hereby adjourned to the 10th day of January 2022 for hearing of the substantive suit at High Court No. 15, Kubwa, FCT-Abuja.”

An APC chieftain said the court order has hobbled the party as the court already fixed March 30, 2022 as next adjourned date.

“That means the party won’t be able to hold its convention on March 26, 2021 until another court over rule the earlier order,” he told SaharaReporters.

“With INEC having published an elections timetable, the APC is now under pressure to meet stipulated timelines failing which it may not be able to field candidates in the 2023 general elections.

“It’s so sad that this is happening at this time, the party is in serious crisis and controversies surrounding its national convention. Some high-ranking party leaders first clashed over the date for the convention, after that was settled, another crisis began over the controversial endorsement of some candidates by President Muhammadu Buhari at the behest of some Northern state governors.”

He added, “The Legal Sub-Committee of APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is now frantically shopping for corrupt judges who will hide behind legal technicalities to vacate the subsisting court order that has barred the party from holding its convention. 

“It is a serious matter because our party leaders are now seeing that the party is inching towards the 2019 Rivers and Zamfara states scenario where candidates fielded by the party were deemed ineligible. So, as things stand, the team will do all that is necessary to avert that situation. 

“Conservatively, they have voted billions of naira for that aspect. They have strategized to work with more than one judge to increase the success rate of this intervention.”