APC Members Filed 208 Court Cases To Destroy Party Not Me – Buni

The Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni-, who has been acting as the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, has revealed that 208 court cases have been instituted against the party since his emergence as CECPC chairman.

Buni, who has been in UAE for medical treatment, revealed through his aide, Yusuf Ali, that the plethora of court cases were aimed at scuttling the National Convention of the party and his position as CECPC chairman.

According to Buni, some of the court cases are seeking a declaration to nullify all state congresses under the leadership of the CECPC.

As against accusation that his allies had secured injunctions to scuttle the convention, Buni revealed that not less than nine cases directly question the legality of the caretaker committee with powers to continue to propel the affairs of the party.

That, in view of the fact that the caretaker committee was an aberration in creation and illegal in existence, it thus lacks the power to organise the party’s nation convention.

He justified this with an instance regarding the case instituted by one Salisu Umoru against the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission and Buni, wherein the plaintiff successfully obtained an interlocutory injunction “restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants/respondents, their allies, agents, representatives, associates or whoever is acting for them or through them from organising, holding or conducting the national convention of the APC in January and February, 2022 or at any other date either before or after pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit,” in the case marked FCT/HC/CV/2958/2021.

That injunction has not been vacated according to findings by THE WHISTLER.

Similarly, a member, Mr Christian Abeh, sued the APC, in the suit marked FHC/ASB/CS/59/2021, challenging the appointment of Buni and the legality of his office.

In a court process filed against the party, he said by virtue of section 183 of the 1999 constitution, the chairman being a governor, “cannot validly be appointed as the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee.”

It sought the nullification of all decisions and actions taken by the chairman.

Also, another suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1577/2021 filed by one Princess Zahrah Mustapha, is seeking for an order of court to “restrain the defendant from carrying out duties as the chairman CECPC and further planning convention,” being that the chairman of the committee is the ‘sitting governor’.

In yet another case marked FHC/PH/CS/105/21, the plaintiff, Ushie Eneji and 80 others jointly challenging the constitutionality of the national caretaker committee as well as the states caretaker committee on the grounds that Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 17 and 20 of the APC Constitution does not recognise any interim caretaker executive officers at the wards, local governments, states and national levels.

While these court cases have not been dealt with, THE WHISTLER gathered that more cases are likely to be instituted as the party draws closer to the convention.

This is as the National Secretary, Mr John Akpanudoedehe, has revealed that he recognised Buni and is waiting for his return from medical leave.

According to sources close to Akpanudoedehe, he too is likely to sue the party in the event he is removed unceremoniously.

But the party’s crisis took a turn for the worse on Friday when the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, disregarded an official letter despatched to it by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, now acting, informing it of its intention to hold a National Executive Council meeting.

INEC in the letter said it could only recognise Buni and Akpanudoedehe as chairman and secretary respectively, to the disappointment of Bello and other members, who had hailed the purported removal of Buni.

This was against the fact that Buni revealed he had written officially to confer on Bello the power to run the party in his stead pending his return to the country.

The letter sighted by THE WHISTLER read in part, that, “In my absence, I hereby transmit the functions of my office as the national chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee to you. This is to enable the committee to conclude all arrangements leading to the national convention slated for March 26, 2022 and other duties that may be required of the office.

“I invite all members to cooperate with Governor Abubakar Sani Bello by extending to him all the support that I have enjoyed from you.”

Responding to that news, Bello denied receiving the letter saying, “No, I haven’t seen it yet.”

When our correspondent contacted Akpanudoedehe to confirm if there were indeed court cases and why these cases had not been dealt with, he did not pick his calls as it rang out.

Similarly, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Mr Tahir Mamman did not respond to his calls.