At about 6.45 p.m. on Tuesday evening, it became clear that Governor Mai Mala Buni will take over the leadership of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as top members of the committee met with its acting chair, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, to brief him on what transpired at a meeting he did not attend at the party’s national secretariat earlier in the day.
Though he was said to have arrived the country in the morning, after a visit with other governors to see President Muhammadu Buhari in London, Sani Bello was not at the ‘routine’ meeting of the CECPC, presided over by Senator Ken Nnamani, a top member of the CECPC.
Nnamani also presided over a similar meeting on Monday.
Even the National Secretary of the CECPC who made a breezy entry into the party office, amidst welcome by staff, Buni’s aides, and others, did not attend the ‘routine’ meeting.
No explanation was given for his curious absence though an important decision on sale and cost of forms was taken at the meeting.
https://everyday.ng/2022/03/apc-papers-over-crisis-akpanudoedehe-restored-as-secretary-says-no-trouble-in-party/
Details of the cost of forms announced by the Youth Leader of the party and spokesman, Barrister Ismail Ahmed, showed that prospective aspirants to the office of National Chairman will part with N20million, Deputy National Chairman N10 million; Secretary N10million; other National Working Committee (NWC) positions, N5 million.
Also, the National Convention and Zonal Congresses are to hold concurrently on March 26.
The sale of forms, it was learnt, began Monday.
It is not clear how President Buhari resolved the crisis in the party over its leadership, but Buni’s aides were strutting the corridors of the national secretariat, beaming with smiles knowing he would make a grand entry there “in a matter of hours or days” as a source put it.
But a group of governors are said to be strategising to ensure he is adequately monitored to ensure he does not overreach himself.
Some are said to be unhappy with the decision of the President to return Buni to create the impression of all been well “after all he did to undermine the party.”
Buni’s supporters are however gloating over his victory, especially against what was described as the “el Rufai group. el Rufai had announced last week that Buni was not returning as CECPC Chairman after his medical trip abroad.