• Declares tenure elongation for APC chair, others illegal
• Party raises panel to decide way forward as Tinubu, Okorocha, Sani back president •PDP, UPP, Afenifere react
Romanus Ugwu; Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja; Chinelo Obogo, Lagos; Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, gave Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) a red card, as he declared the tenure elongation handed him and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) and other executive committees at all levels, illegal and unacceptable.
The party’s National Executice Council (NEC) at its meeting on February 27, extended the tenure of the party’s NWC led by Chief Odigie-Oyegun by one year.
But while Buhari may have dumped Odigie-Oyegun as he described his tenure elongation illegal and demanded a fresh election, the party members seemed to have overridden the president by insisting that the decision taken during the last NEC meeting still stands.
Buhari, in his opening remarks during the NEC meeting at the party’s national headquarters, yesterday in Abuja, had noted that after seeking legal advice from the Ministry of Justice, he concluded that the extension contravened both the party’s and Nigeria’s constitution.
He further noted that though he was part of the resolution to extend the tenure, he has, however, realised that the action might ruin the chances of the party in the 2019 general elections, insisting that the national officers must resign a month to the expiration of their tenure and fresh elections conducted into the positions.
“While the APC constitution in article 17(1) and 13.2 (b) limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in section 223 also prescribed periodic election for party executives at regular intervals which must not exceed four years.
“Further more, article 31 of our great party’s constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to recontest or contest for another post must resign from his current post at least one month before the election.
“In this circumstance, what is expected of us is to conduct fresh elections once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end. A caretaker committee cannot remedy this situation and cannot validly act in place of elected officers. Furthermore, I think if we deviate from the constitution and provisions, we might be endangering the fortunes of our party.
“If the tenure of our party executive can be legally faulted, then, it means any nomination and primary election that they will conduct can also be faulted….,” he noted.
However, addressing newsmen after the NEC meeting, the duo of the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, announced that NEC agreed to set up committee to look into the issue.
Bello, who explicitly claimed that the party did not violate either the constitution of the party or the constitution of Nigeria, warned that the crisis that will trail the conduct of fresh election might be unimaginable.
“I think that we should not be misunderstood. First, the last decision was not to elongate the tenure of the NWC or any other executive committee at all levels. What we sought to cure was to ensure that in view of certain crisis within the rank and file of the party and considering the time limit between now and when we will be facing the general elections, it is expedient that we ask the current NWC and current executives committees at all levels to continue to act in that capacity for a period of 12 months.
“That decision did not negate any provision or provisions of our party or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Remember that when the tenure of a particular executive or organ comes to an end, nature abhors vacuum.
“That is why we are saying that in view of the crisis that would have been generated from the congresses and primaries before the election, we should allow them to continue to act in that capacity,” he noted.
The party’s spokesperson, who said the February 27 decision subsists, announced a decision to set up a committee to look into the tenure elongation crisis.
“Members of NEC thanked the president for his concerns, despite the fact that they have held a position. Of course, we had situations, remember that some people went to court after the decision was taken at the last NEC meeting, and you know that discussing any issue that is already in court will be sub-judicious. That also presented its own complications. So, NEC decided to set up a small team to advise the party on this matter.
“At the moment, there is no decision taken, so the position of NEC still stands. There is a technical committee that is looking at the issue, that position may change tomorrow,” Abdullahi noted.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the development in the APC was a reflection of the chaos and disorderliness in the Federal Government, which it controls.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said the confusion in the ruling party explained why the country has been in shambles.
The opposition party accused the president of impunity and undue interference in the running of his party.
“The executive flip-flops by President Muhammadu Buhari and his interferences in the internal running of the party, has further exposed the raging impunity, primitive impositions and other undemocratic tendencies in the APC.
“The confusion in the APC also directly explains why our country has been in shambles in the last three years. There is no way a party which cannot conduct its affairs in a democratic norm will be able to function in government.
“We are therefore not surprised that President Buhari went back to his party’s NEC and ordered members to reverse earlier decisions, which they had claimed conformed with the provisions of their constitution.”
The party said it was a surprise that the APC, which claimed to be progressively inclined, did not understand its own rules or its applications.
“Nigerians are no longer at a loss as to the reasons for failure of governance, policy summersaults and gross incompetence that have brought our nation to its knees in the last three years.
“Our take away in all these is that the APC is a complete disaster and we urge all democrats still trapped in this sinking ship to immediately exit and join other good-spirited Nigerians in the rebranded and repositioned PDP to make life better for our people,” the opposition party said.
Notwithstanding PDP criticism, the Imo State Governor and Chairman of APC Progressive Governors Forum, Rochas Okorocha, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Shehu Sani applauded the president.
According to Okorocha, with his pronouncement, Buhari has enriched the nation’s democracy and Constitution of the party.
While commending the president for showing astute leadership in the party when it is most needed, he also lauded Chief Oyegun-led EXCO for leading it to its present state and noted that the political history of the nation would be fair to them when it would be written.
In his reaction, which was contained in a statement by his media office, Tinubu said with the pronouncement, President Buhari has displayed his commitment to the principles of internal democracy and the rule of law.
“The president has spoken. Today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality. His action will also serve to strengthen the party by allowing party members, including present incumbents, to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit.
“His action will go far in advancing the process of internal reconciliation that is now underway. It is a time for the party to move forward and begin to plan and organise the needed congresses according to the existing timetables. After all, a party bearing the name All Progressives Congress should be the last party to resist holding congresses in which all its people have a fair say and fair chance to aspire to any position in the party for which they are qualified to hold.”
Also, Senator Sani, who represents Kaduna Central in the National Assembly applauded Buhari’s action.
Speaking during a television programme, he said: “Buhari did the right thing at the right time and he is saving the party. The party has been in crisis since we took over and the existing leadership has been unable to bring solutions.
“The extension was an attempt by the party to fly over the party’s problems and those who are left in ruins are those who wanted the extension.
“The party must resolve its differences and see how it can solve the problem. It is better to arrive our destination on a wheelchair than arrive dead.”
But the National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chekwas Okorie said Buhari’s action would cause the party to implode.
“Two things are at play here; the imminent implosion in the APC has long being predicted and the policy summersault of the administration with regards to the party is a reflection of a confused party leadership that will end up imploding. The president said he was advised by his Attorney General to take that decision but I think that he is being intelligent by half, because what he has done is to pander to the whims and caprices of some in the South West and he thinks that it is politically expedient not to lose the support of some in Lagos who he believes holds the ace with regards to the vote that would enable the party retain its victory in 2019.
“What has happened now is that he has also made the state chairmen who took the decision to elongate the tenure look ordinary. It means that as far as Buhari is concerned, if you weigh them on the scale with those in Lagos, the latter would weigh more. What it also means is that the National Working Committee of the party should start counting their days and that would come with dissatisfaction and dissent within the ranks of the party. Whichever way you look at it, Buhari has demonstrated lack of political savvy. He should have let the status quo remain and then they would use party influence to get any aggrieved person to accept the party’s decision”, Okorie said.
Even though he is not concerned about how the party runs its affairs, the spokesperson of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, said if the president showed dictatorial tendencies and impunity in how he handles his party, those tendencies would affect the way he governs the country.
“It is their internal party affair but the way it would rub off on the country is to question if he has any powers in their party constitution to demand that the decision to elongate the tenure be reversed? If a man can run his party with impunity, how do you think he would run the country? Is the Attorney General of the Federation who advised him on the decision or the legal adviser of the party? What concerns him with the legal affairs of the party?
“It is the legal adviser of the APC who can interpret the constitution of the party and it is his job to be advising the president on issues that concern the party. It is an abuse of powers to be taking advice from the Attorney General. It is obvious that he is pandering to some interests but that does not concern us because it is their party affairs,” he said.