APC: Buni Reacts To Supreme Court’s Judgement, Says Malami, Others Solidly Behind Him

Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni on Wednesday disclosed that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami SAN, is solidly behind his leadership of the party.

He also stated that the Progressives Governors’ Forum after reviewing the recent Supreme Court judgment in Jegede versus Akeredolu re-affirmed their support to the CECPC and urged the CECPC to proceed with the Congresses as scheduled”.

The Supreme Court, had in a split judgment of four against three on the Ondo governorship election petition, held that the reason it did not sack Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of the APC, was because the PDP and its governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, failed to join the National Chairman of APC’s Caretaker Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, even when the issues revolved around him.

This judgement immediately threw up concerns as regards the position of law on whether the Governor of Yobe State and the current National Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee should remain at the helm of affairs of the Caretaker Committee considering the provisions of Section 183 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Naija News reports that this section of the constitution provides as follows, “the governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.”

Buni, while speaking through the CECPC Secretary, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, said, “In the past few days, the media space has been filled with commentaries on the Supreme Court judgment in Jegede v. Akeredolu.

“Persons who should know better are coming out with very malicious and self-serving opinions, just to play on the gullibility of the public, while forgetting that our party is made up of very intelligent, sound and intellectually proficient persons who have seen beneath their grandstanding.

“The majority judgment of the Supreme Court has strengthened the position of the CECPC and our Chairman. The minority judgment serves only for academic purposes, nothing more.

“The Attorney General of the federation is the chief law officer of the federation has stated that we are on firm ground and advised that we proceed with the processes of the Congresses.

“The Progressives Governors Forum through their extensive legal apparatchik have x-rayed the generality of the issue in their meeting of 8/8/2021 and have re-affirmed their support to the CECPC and urged the CECPC to proceed with the Congresses as scheduled.”