Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe and chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker committee, says all the decisions taken by his Niger counterpart, Abubakar Sani Bello, regarding the party’s national convention are valid.
Over the past few days, the APC has been embroiled in crisis, amid reports that the Buni-led caretaker committee worked to scuttle the APC national convention.
On March 7, the Niger governor took over as the acting chairman of the APC national chairman in the absence of Buni who was out of the country for medical treatment.
After taking charge of the party, Bello had said the over 1000-member committees put in place by Buni were too many to organise the convention.
He subsequently reorganised the sub-committees and reduced the number to 107.
On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari asked APC governors to allow Buni to plan the national convention.
Earlier on Thursday, John Akpanudoedehe, secretary of the caretaker committee, released names of the sub-committee members for the convention, adding that it “supersedes any other list in circulation”.
In what appears to be a direct reaction to Akpanudoedehe’s announcement, the Yobe governor, in a statement he personally signed, said since he “duly transmitted power” to Bello before undergoing medical treatment, all actions taken by the Niger governor are valid.
“This is to bring to the notice of all stakeholders and members of the party that the purported suspension of some activities initiated and executed by the caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee under the acting chairman and Niger state governor, H.E. Muhammed Sani Bello, IS NOT TRUE,” Buni said in the statement dated March 17.
“Therefore, all activities that were done in my absence remain valid and binding. All party stakeholders and members are hereby advised to disregard the previous statement discarding the activities of the committee under the leadership of the acting chairman.
“It could be recalled that I had duly transmitted power to His Excellency, the Niger State Governor, H.E. Muhammed Sani Bello to enable me undergo medical attention. Therefore, all actions and measures taken by the committee under his leadership as acting chairman, remain effective.”
