The All Progressives Governors Forum is set to hold an emergency meeting in Abuja today (Friday) to discuss Saturday’s APC state and local government congresses as well as the implication of Wednesday’s judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ondo State governorship election for the party.
The Chairman of the APC in Borno State and Chairman of the party’s Chairmen’s Forum, Ali Bukar Dalori, who gave these hints in an interview Punch in Maiduguri, stated that the outcome of the meeting would determine whether or not the party would go ahead with state and local government congresses scheduled to start on Saturday (tomorrow).
But the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the party at a press conference in Abuja insisted that the congresses would begin on Saturday as scheduled.
The committee dismissed claims that the Supreme Court in its judgment on the Ondo State governorship election declared Mai Bala Buni’s chairmanship of the caretaker panel illegal.
But a former National Legal Adviser of the APC, Dr Muiz Banire, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, advised the party against holding the congresses in view of the controversy over the judgment as it affected Buni, who is also the Governor of Yobe State.
There were reports on Wednesday that all the seven Supreme Court Justices who gave judgments on the Ondo State governorship election agreed on the constitutional point that a sitting governor could not hold the dual elective position of governor and party national chairman.
The apex court in its judgment declared the Ondo State Governor and APC candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, winner of the state 2020 election and dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN).
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had on Wednesday said, “The technical point that saved the Governor Akeredolu was that Jegede failed to join Governor Mai Mala Buni in the suit.
“The Supreme Court has just weaponised all those that would be aggrieved by the APC congresses to proceed to court to challenge the competence of the Buni-led committee to organise the congresses and national convention.”
Source: Punch