A faction of the APC governors was alleged to have complained bitterly to the president that Buni was not inclined to holding the convention as rescheduled, because there were no preparations on the ground to indicate so.
Apparently miffed by the what he was told, the president was said to have immediately directed that Buni be removed and replaced.
Buni is currently in Dubai for medical reasons and was not around to defend himself. But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and another top Villa player, were said to have intervened on behalf of Buni, when they got wind of the development, and advised the president to exercise caution against such action.
They were said to have reminded Buhari it was only the NEC of the Party that could convene and remove Buni, and after he must have been given seven days notice of removal. They, however, contended that anything outside the laid down processes, could be challenged in court, with the potential of disrupting the rescheduled March 26 Convention date.
It was not certain, however, whether the intervention changed the President’s mind. But some insiders, who spoke to THISDAY on the development this morning, expressed displeasure that some governors went to ambush the president just before he left the country without their knowledge and created a totally false narrative that Buni did not want to hold the convention.
“They are creating unnecessary crisis in the party, because of their selfish interests. How can they claim there are no preparations to hold the convention, when various convention sub-committees have been announced; the zonal committee is announcing the zoning formula on Monday (today).
“Committees will be inaugurated in a few days. These people are not sincere. Some governors have been scheming to take over the functions of CECPC to further their own interests.
The immediate way out of this is; if Buni voluntarily resigns, which he had two weeks ago threatened to during the APC governors meeting in Abuja,” they claimed.
These, nonetheless, the president, yesterday, assured party members before departing the country for his two weeks medical trip, that he would do everything to ensure the convention holds as scheduled on March 26.
He also took time to clear the air of misgivings about the structure of his government, when he said, constitutionally, his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, was always in charge, whenever he was away.
This is as the APC zoning committee, headed by the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq, is expected to announce the zoning formula for the party’ National Working Committee (NWC) today ahead of the national convention.
Also, a former governor of Nasarawa State and frontline aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairmanship, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, has denied working against the president’s choice of consensus candidate, describing a report to that effect as mischievous and unkind.
Speaking to journalists before departing Abuja for London, the president, who told his party members not to forget how a relatively new APC beat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the polls in 2015, reiterated that, “everything would be done to ensure that the party holds the national convention as scheduled.”
And in further allaying existential concerns, Buhari stated: “Well, they (APC members) should wait and see. How did we come as a party to take power from the ruling party, who had been there before us for so many years? So, we have the capacity; everything will be alright,” the president said.
