The President Muhammadu Buhari has warned Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State; his Kaduna State counterpart, Nasir el-Rufai; and other All Progressives Congress governors to desist from attacking their Yobe State colleague, Mai Mala Buni.
Buhari also urged the governors to allow the Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee to proceed with all preparations to hold the March 26 convention of the party.
The President spoke in London when he met Buni and Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu. Buhari, Buni and Adamu are all on medical vacation in the United Kingdom.
This was contained in a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday.
The statement was titled, ‘President Buhari Backs Buni-Led CECC; Directs Apc Governors To Stop Further Utterances That Lead To Disunity’.
It read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has once again intervened in the uncertainties currently rocking the All progressives Congress, APC.
“In a letter personally signed by him, addressed to Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State who is also the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, President Buhari said the multiplicity of cases currently rocking the party has the prospect of invalidating the activities and actions of the Party by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The letter which was also copied to the Chairman of Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee, the Acting Chairman of the CECC, Governor Sani Bello, the Director-General of the DSS as well as the Inspector General of Police, the President said that since the party could not change the leadership of the CECC without infringing on the time limit set by INEC, and the fact that the current uncertainties and controversies “pose a real threat to the party,” he has therefore directed as follows:
“The issue of the leadership of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee should immediately return to status quo ante;
“All members of the Governors Forum and their followers should desist from any behaviour or utterance that will likely lead to disunity in the ranks of the party, and ultimately jeopadise the transition to the convention;
“The Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee should accordingly be allowed to proceed with all necessary preparations to hold the convention as planned- unfailingly on 26th March, 2022.”
Buhari had reportedly removed Buni as APC caretaker chairman over alleged failure to implement actionable points leading to the realisation of the party’s convention, according to El-Rufai and Akeredolu. The governors had also said the President chose Bello in Buni’s stead till INEC refused to recognise the Niger State governor as APC chair.
The Niger State governor had taken over as acting chairman of the party last Monday amid rumours that Buhari had ordered the sacking of Buni but the Yobe State governor insisted that he had not been sacked but he only transmitted power to Bello in acting capacity before he travelled to the UK for medical checkup.
Amid the controversy, some governors, including El-Rufai and Akeredolu openly condemned Buni.
While El-Rufai accused Buni of conniving with some fifth columnists to procure a court order that would scuttle the convention, Akeredolu described the governors supporting Buni as ‘Yahoo Yahoo (fraudulent) governors.
