The All Progressives Congress Youth Development and Solidarity Network (APC-YDSN) has alleged that some Progressive Governors are plotting to procure a court injunction to remove Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni as Chairman of Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party.
There has been a leadership tussle in the party with Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, announcing last week Monday that he has replaced Buni as Chairman of the CECPC.
But President Muhammadu Buhari, through a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Saturday night, called the Governors and other leaders of the party to order.
At a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, the APC-YDSN said since the humiliation suffered by the sponsors of the failed leadership change in the party, there have been concerted efforts to use the instrument of the court to achieve “their objective of effecting a change in the leadership of the party”.
The group’s Secretary-General, Hon. Tobias Ogbeh, who addressed the press, also alleged that a serving minister and presidential aspirant from the South-South has earmarked close to N5 billion for the purpose of procuring the court injunction against the Chairman and members of the CECPC, since the palace coup had failed.
The group further claimed that the sum of N2.5 billion has been earmarked as payment for the lawyers that would initiate the process, as well as reaching out to the willing Judge, who would, in turn, be rewarded with the sum of N2.5 billion.
The APC-YDSN said it has credible information that the overarching plot is to cause an embarrassment to President Buhari, who from all indications was not been in support of the leadership change and never gave his blessings as being speculated in the media.
The group called on the Nigerian Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Security (DSS), to be on alert, stressing that the plot has reached an advanced stage.
“The general public is also encouraged to be on the watch as the manifestation of this plot would gather steam soonest. It is our considered opinion that this Minister and some governors are desperate to secure the court injunction to secure a change in the party’s leadership.
“It remains embarrassing that these governors have elected to throw caution in the wind in pursuing an ambition built on deceit and the incurable quest for power at all cost and not minding whose ox is gored.
“They have carried on like demigods, not minding that they have performed woefully in their various states. To think that they want to impose this malaise on the party is most despicable and should be resisted by all well-meaning members of the APC and the country at large.
“The party’s interest must come first, and we must come to terms with the stark reality before us to stand up for the truth in the perseverance of the life of the APC as a party of progressive-minded people.
“The general public must be aware of this despicable plot hence this press conference to raise public awareness of the plot to undermine the efforts made by the Mai Mala Buni leadership of the APC.
“We want to use this medium to sound a note of warning to judges and justices in the legal profession to refuse to be used as pawns to truncate the democratic processes in Nigeria. The implication of allowing themselves to be used by some APC governors indeed portends grave danger for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. However, we are confident in the judiciary’s integrity to stand for justice and equity,” the group said.
