PDP mocks as APC dissolves structures, extends Buni’s term

By Rotimi Fadeyi & Tunde Opalana

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday dissolved all states, zonal, and national party structures.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee held at the Presidential Villa with President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and other leaders of the party In attendance.

Also at the meeting, NEC extended for another six months the tenure of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning committee led by Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.

The tenure of the Caretaker Committee was supposed to expire on December 25, 2020 but with the extension, the tenure would now terminate on June 30, 2021.

While briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai disclosed that NEC also approved the expulsion of former National Vice Chairman, South-south, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, for his failure to withdraw the court case instituted against the caretaker committee.

El-Rufai said “the National Executive Committee of the party approves the extension of the tenure of Caretaker/ Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee led by Mai Mala Buni, which expires in December 25, 2020 for another six months period to terminate on 30th of June, 2021.

This is to enable the Caretaker and Convention Planning Committee to conclude its assignment as laid before NEC. “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.

“The second resolution is that NEC has approved the granting of wavers to persons who have recently joined the party members and those desirous of joining the party in the nearest future.

By this, such new members will enjoy all the benefits and privileges accruable by virtue of their membership of the party.

“So they will be able to contest for positions in the party, they will be able to contest elections without any requirement of being members for number of years or period of time.

“Third resolution, NEC approved the expulsion of Ntufam Hilliard Eta from the party for flaunting the directives of NEC to discontinue all litigation against the party and its members.

“The fourth resolution, NEC 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 as well as their immediate reconstitution and composition of the dissolved EXCOs to serve in their respective offices in a caretaker committee capacity but excluding the non-NWC members of NEC.

“Finally, 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 interest, civil and military, governments and opposition, security forces and indeed all citizens collaborate irrespective of party affiliation.

This is not the time to politicize security.” Earlier, while addressing the meeting, Buhari appealed to party members at all levels to make sacrifices in order to collectively restore progressive and democratic political party.

The President said, “I want to appeal to all our party members and leaders at all levels, to try and make the required sacrifices so that we are able to collectively restore our progressive and democratic political party, which can nurture and give expression to our collective dream of building a strong, united and developed Nigeria.

“May I use this opportunity to remind all of us of the need to recreate our negotiation secret of 2012, 2013 under our legacy parties.

What guided our success to achieve the merger that produced the APC was the respect we were able to have for each other.

“In those times, decisions reached at both formal and informal consultations were respected with trusted initiatives taken and believed that they were needed to produce the required political platform that could guarantee electoral victory”, he said.

According to him, “healthy debates are now taking place and the potential for organs of the party to affirm majority positions as the decision of the party is now possible.

What is required now is for all of us as leaders of the party to maintain discipline and ensure that this new momentum is protected, sustained and the decisions of party organs are respected by every member.

“Despite the challenge to restore peace in the party and the series of elections at hand, the fact that we have gained more members and that we are not losing members to the opposition under the present interim leadership, indicates improvement of the party.

In fact, we have begun to win back our members who left us and other notable political leaders are being attracted to our party.

“In this regard, I hereby acknowledge the return of many party stalwarts and their supporters, particularly His Excellency, David Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi.

This confirms we are indeed making progress as a party of choice for Nigerians, as we move towards the resolution of our leadership challenges”, Buhari added.

Presenting to the NEC an abridged report and a few recommendations requiring approvals, Buni said his committee had been able to reconcile warring factions.

He said, “on assumption of office at the end of June 2020, our party was a theatre of infighting both at national level and in many states.

Reconciliation of all the warring factions and individuals was therefore, an important consideration for us to be able to commence the process of reconstituting the party’s leadership.

“To achieve that, we set up a reconciliation committee across the country. Issues such as Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Enugu, Zamfara, Edo, Ondo Anambra and Oyo were either referred to one of the committees to handle directly or handle directly by the national caretaker committee.

“Tempers within our party have substantially come down. Although the works of our various reconciliation committees are yet to be concluded.

While progress are being recorded by our respective reconciliation committees, the task of reconciliation should be continuous, the NEC may therefore wish to review development and direct accordingly.

“One of the resolutions of NEC resolutions of June 25 2020, was that all pending litigations involving the party and its members should be discontinued.

The caretaker committee has collated all such cases including identifying the parties to the disputes and litigations and has taken all the steps of immediate withdrawal of litigations while equally setting up procedures for hearing out all the aggrieved members, including creating a neutral ground to hear all the grievances.

“Now most if not all court cases inherited from the last working committee have been terminated, which was part of the success of reconciliation efforts going on in the party”.

Meanwhile, the former National Vice Chairman (South South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hilliard Etegbo Eta has described his expulsion from the party as a nullity.

He challenged the pronouncement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) at an emergency meeting held at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday.

The NEC at the meeting dissolved all party structures at the zonal, state, local government and ward levels while Eta was expelled for daring to institute a legal action against the Mai Mala Buni – led Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee Committee of the party. Reacting during a telephone interview, Eta said the party acted in error to have expelled him knowing fully that the legal action he instituted against the party is yet to be dispensed with.

The expelled party chieftain also questioned the composition of the NEC membership, insisted it was not properly composed, hence every decision taken at such meeting becomes null and void.

Eta said “I am already in court. The lawyers amongst them should have told them that they can’t make that pronouncement since I am in court.

Their action is a nullity because it isn’t even the NEC of the party that met. Their so called acting national secretary has no power to convene NEC.”

But, the Forum of State Chairmen being a national organs of the party welcomed the decision of the NEC in dissolving the Forum alongside structures of the party affected.

Dr. Ben Nwoye, Enugu State Chairman and the Secretary, Forum of State Chairmen in a reaction to the dissolution of the Forum executive by NEC said the decision was in the interest of the party.

He said “the outcome of the NEC meeting was in the interest of the party to further strengthen the party and further streamline the processes and solidify the party and by the time the Caretaker Committee finishes their work, we have a more formidable party.

We have more forward looking and more progressive political party.” When asked if that was the official position of the Forum, in view of opposition by some states chairmen, he said “I don’t know where you got that information.

From all I know is that this is the official position of the Forum”.

In his own reaction, a founding member of the APC, Osita Okechukwu said the dissolution of executives across the board is a welcome development in the repositioning and reinvigoration of the party.

Okechukwu, who is the Director General, Voice of Nigeria the step will strengthen APC and give a sense of belonging to all members.

He commended the decision and thanked President Buhari for ensuring the party commenced the birth of a new brand and remodeled political party.

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Okechukwu said “one highly commends the profound and excellent decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party aimed at repositioning and reinvigorating our party.

“First and foremost, I sincerely concur with the six months extension, as this will enable Governor M.M.Buni’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to not only reconcile the party, but to conduct valid biometric registration nationwide.

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“This is what our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu embarked upon in 2013, when we were newly registered.

It was botched by the Peoples Democratic Party led federal government.

“The biometric registration will enable us to know with a punch of button our membership from all the Polling Units, Wards, LGAs and States nationwide.

With biometric registration we will plan elections both primaries and main elections better”.