By Gideon Njoku
President Muhammadu Buhari woke up from a deep slumber on the crisis rocking his party, the All Progressives Congress and, Thursday, wielded the big stick.
He began to gradually wake up on Wednesday when he endorsed Chief Victor Giadom as the Acting National Chairman, and said he would attend the National Executive Committee meeting summoned by Giadom.
At the meeting, he sacked Giadom, dissolved the NCW, and appointed a serving Governor, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee.
The 13-man Caretaker Committee will run the affairs of the party for the next six months, and organise a National Convention.
For Giadam, it was just “a one-minute shine”.
And for Oshiomhole, it is a disgraceful long goodbye from an office he coveted so much, and ran, allegedly, like a dictator and, finally, self-destructed.
For the South where all the factional Acting Chairmen came from, it is a shame that no Southerner was found good enough to Chair the Caretaker Committee.
It is not known why the President chose Buni who was the Secretary of the party before he contested for Yobe State Governorship and won, but a source said the President wanted it away from the South since all the squabbling factional Chairmen came from the region.
It is, also, not known how he will run both his state and the party, but the next few days will be interesting.
For now, no member of the dissolved NWC has reacted to the dissolution, nor have other party stakeholders, including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who was not invited to the meeting, since he was not really entitled to it. There is not likely to be Court actions as the President ordered the withdrawal of all pending Court cases concerning the Party.
Writing on the developments Buhari’s Media aide, Bashir Ahmad, twitted:
“Following the recommendation of President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress has been dissolved.”
Hereunder, members of the Caretaker Committee.
LIST OF APC CARETAKER AND EXTRA-ORDINARY CONVENTION PLANNING COMMITTEE.
- Governor Mai Mala Buni (Yobe) – Chairman
- Isiaka Oyebola – SW
- Ken Nnamani – SE
- Stella Okorete – Women Representative
- Governor Sani Bello – NC
- Dr. James Lalu – physically challenged
- Sen. Abubakar Yusuf- Senate Representative
- Hon. Akinyemi Olaide – House Representative
- David Leon – SS
- Abba Ari -NW
- Prof. Tahir Mamman – NE
- Ismail Ahmed – Youth Representative
- Sen. Akpan Udoedehe- Secretary
Members were immediately sworn-in by the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN.
