Buhari returns Buni as APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, denies Adamu

In an unexpected turn of events, President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe, will lead the All Progressives Congress (APC) to its national convention on March 26.

Sani Bello, the governor of Niger state, took over the APC national headquarters two weeks ago, announcing his replacement for Buni, who had led the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) since 2020.

This upsetting development sparked rivalry among APC governors and key stakeholders, with many accusing Yobe Governor of plotting against the convention’s organization and declaring support for Bello.

While some cheered Buni’s alleged demise, the National Electoral Commission (INEC) turned down a letter inviting it to an emergency meeting of the ruling party’s National Executive Committee, where Bello’s chairmanship was to be approved.

In a letter dated March 9, 2022, INEC informed the CECPC that the letter of invitation had not been signed by Buni and Dr John Akpanudoedehe, the CECPC’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.

This, among other things, prompted some members of the Presidency’s inner caucus to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently in the United Kingdom for a routine medical checkup.

On Saturday, a group of ministers led by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, paid a visit to the President’s Lodge, which included the Ministers of Education and Aviation, Mallam Adamu Adamu and Hadi Sirika, respectively.

President Buhari decided at the meeting that Governor Buni should be allowed to run the national convention as a face-saving measure.

According to sources familiar with the meeting’s details, the President flatly denied endorsing former Nasarawa state governor Abdullahi Adamu for the APC national chairmanship.

While the helmsman and his close confidants discussed the internal wrangling in the APC and the upcoming March 26 national convention, the conversation also shifted to who will succeed Adams Oshiomhole as party Chairman among the contestants who have registered their interest, according to this newspaper.

“At first, it was about the INEC letters and the possibility of the opposition gaining all elective seats if nothing is done to avert the impending political doom.” They also discussed the legal implications of the Senate’s rejection of the amendments to the Electoral Law. But somewhere along the way, the Chairman’s speech, which will lead the party to the polls in 2023, came up,” said a source who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak.

The ministers specifically inquired if President Muhammadu Buhari was truly supporting former Nasarawa Governor Abdullahi Adamu, according to the source, a rumor that surfaced in the media a few weeks ago. The President stated that he was unaware of such an endorsement.

The ministers also expressed serious reservations about Adamu’s candidacy, citing his affiliation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and labeling him a “stranger” who cannot be trusted.

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Adamu was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under which he won the Nasarawa State gubernatorial election in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003. Adamu was also named Secretary, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party at the end of his two-term governorship, making him a major decision maker.

One of the ministers went on to say that it would be a major setback and act of betrayal for Senator Tanko Al-Makura, who remained a governor under the defunct Congress for Progressive Change despite overwhelming opposition (CPC).

“The minister warned them that their decision would throw the Nasarawa APC into disarray because the incumbent Governor publicly endorsed Al-Makura,” the source said.

Meanwhile, the ministers have decided that supporting a member of the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), from which the President joined the APC in 2014, will benefit the caucus.