APC Members Supports Buhari Over Oyeguns’ Tenure Elongation Rejection

The Senate and House of Representatives yesterday, threw their support behind President Buhari over his none support for the extension of the tenure of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress.

The lawmakers noted that Buhari did what most party faithfuls had expected him to do.
They said the party has not been in order since the last National Executive Committee meeting, which extended the tenure of the National Chairman,Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and other members of the party was held.

The Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, stated that the APC must consider Buhari’s position on the party’s NWC to prevent the dire consequences that would follow its dismissal.

Lawan said, “The President, no doubt, is the supreme leader of the APC and there is no doubt that he always has the utmost interest of the party at heart. Therefore, if the President presented such a thing to the APC, it is very important for the stakeholders to look at it because there is no room for frivolities when it comes to this kind of a very dire situation, which has its consequences.

“If we don’t heed the advice of the President and then go ahead to elongate the tenure, it could lead to very undesirable consequences. The President is right for taking that position.

“The President is not used to talking all the time. So, when he talks we must listen.”

Also, the Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Sola Adeyeye, said Buharis’ decisions were valid.

“I agree with him. I am not a lawyer but my lawyers have told me that the action taken by the NEC (to elongate the NWC’s tenure) contravened the law; it contravened the spirit of the law of the party and the stipulations of the constitution concerning registered political parties.

“So, if anything borders on illegality, I do not want my party to commit it as it will have serious, adverse consequences later on,” Adeyeye stated.

At the House of Representatives, the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, said the tenure extension idea was a big mistake in the first place.

He added, “My view on this was unequivocally clear right from the day we held the NEC meeting, which I am a member. Mr. President, as the supreme leader of the party, has always propagated the exercise of transparent internal party democracy.

“He has consistently been a proponent of respect of the rule of law, through compliance with the relevant provisions of the constitution of the party and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“In my opinion, Mr. President’s recommendations on the matter must be allowed to hold. After all, his pronouncement as the leader of the party should be taken as an irreversible order.

“The APC as a party will head for doom if it dares to undermine the true position of the law in this respect.”

Ado-Doguwa, who is from Kano State and the leader of the majority North-West Caucus, clarified that jettisoning tenure elongation did not mean that Oyegun and the other NWC members could not contest their seats again.

“We can of course, if the people so desire, bring back whoever may want to re-contest his or her position at all levels.

“But, we will have no alternative whatsoever to holding a democratically-organised congresses at the moment.

“Already, the party had designed a schedule for these congresses. I wonder why the NWC at a point derailed from doing the right thing,” he added.