APC shields Buhari, slams PDP, extends Buni’s caretaker role, sacks ex-Vice Chair

 

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has approved a six-month extension for the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NEC also approved the dissolution of the party structures at the ward, states and national levels.

Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufa’i who confirmed these developments when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, said the NEC also approved the expulsion of former National Vice Chairman of the party in the South-South, Ntufam Hilliard-Eta.

He explained that Hilliard-Eta was dismissed from the party for refusing to withdraw the court case he instituted against the caretaker committee.

El-Rufa’i, who briefed the correspondents alongside Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo, and his Ondo counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, condemned the recent call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over security challenges in some parts of the country.

The PDP recently called on the president to resign due to security challenges facing the country.

El-Rufai said that the APC NEC frowned at the way and manner security issues were being politicised by the opposition party to score cheap political goals.

He said: “The NEC condemns in very strong terms, the call by the PDP leadership and some of their cheer leaders for the resignation of Mr President.

“NEC observes that security challenges, though regrettable, can only be addressed when all interests, civil and military, governments and opposition, security forces and indeed all citizens, collaborate irrespective of party affiliation.

“This is not the time to politicise security.’’

El-Rufai explained that the extension of tenure of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee was to enable the Committee conclude its assignment.

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“NEC has also donated its powers as enshrined in Articles 13.3 Subsection 5 and 13.3 Subsection 6 of the APC Constitution, to the Caretaker and Convention Planning Committee,’’ he said

He said the NEC also approved the granting of waivers to persons who recently joined the party as well as those desirous of joining the party in the nearest future.

According to him, such new members will enjoy all the benefits and privileges accruable by virtue of their membership of the party.

The governor stated that the prospective members would be able to contest for positions in the party as well as contest elections without any requirement of being members for a number of years or period of time.

He said the NEC approved the expulsion of Ntufam Hilliard-Eta from the party for flaunting its directives to discontinue all litigation against the party and its members.

“The NEC also approved the immediate dissolution of the party organs at the polling units, wards, local government, states and zonal levels as well as the non-National Working Committee component of the National Executive Committee.

“It also approved the immediate reconstitution and composition of the dissolved Executive Councils to serve in their respective offices in a caretaker committee capacity, excluding the non-NWC members of NEC,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the dissolution of the national, state, local government and ward committees of the APC as an indication that the ruling party has fizzled out of the nation’s political firmament.

The PDP in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the APC “being overburdened by the weight of failure, humongous corruption as well as the plagues of economic recession, violence, killings and hardship it has brought to our people, forcefully exited itself from the nation’s political firmament” by dissolving all of its structures.

“Now that the APC has become defunct, the PDP invites the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to officially de-register the APC and recall its certificate of registration, given that it no longer has operational structures as required by law.”

According to the statement, “INEC should immediately declare the seat of all lawmakers elected on the platform of APC at the federal and state levels vacant and commence the process of by-election to fill the seats, as required by law.

“Furthermore, government agencies, civil society organizations, as well as the international community, should immediately gazette the APC as a defunct political organization in our country.

“Nevertheless, the PDP invites all leaders of the APC to get ready to answer Nigerians for their misdeeds, and not to think they can get away with their atrocities by forming or joining another political party.”