Former PGF D-G, Lukman, lists reasons Buhari supported Buni’s sack as APC acting chairman

Former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, has said President Muhammadu Buhari was highly disappointed with the way Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni ran the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Caretaker Committee and his removal was justified.

Lukman also frowned at reports that Buhari was forced to sack Buni and replace him with Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, saying the leadership crisis in the APC which could make the party lose future elections was the reason Buhari took the decision to “save the party.”

In his reaction on Monday following the removal of Buni, Lukman said instead of the reports which made Buhari look like a dictator, the president should be applauded for intervening in the party crisis at the right time.

According to the former DG, there were several allegations against the Buni-led CECPC, one of which was the committee allegedly procuring a court order against holding the party’s national convention on March 26.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, like most party leaders and members, is highly disappointed at the serial cases of deliberate efforts by His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni, and his associates to block the APC Convention from holding, based on alleged personal ambitions.

“Between November 2021 and January 2022, the APC Convention had to be postponed three times because of deliberate refusal to initiate most of the processes required, such as booking the venue for the Convention and serving the statutory three weeks’ notice to INEC.

“In addition, there were other serious allegations against the leadership of His Excellency Mai Mala, which include the discovery that his group, since November 2022, had obtained a court injunction against the convention and are waiting until three or two days to the convention before serving it on the party to succeed in blocking the March 26 APC Convention from holding.

Read also: Lukman, ex-PGF DG, accuses APC stakeholders of sabotaging party’s interests

“The plot is that His Excellency Mai Mala wants to continue to run the affairs of the party and conduct the party’s primary where candidates for 2023 elections would emerge.

“As part of the plot, once they heard that President Buhari has agreed with some party leaders that necessary steps to save the party should be taken, which require a change of the CECPC leadership, they decided to present it in the media that the President has sacked His Excellency Mai Mala Buni as the Chairman of the CECPC and appointed His Excellency Abubakar Sani Bello as Sole Administrator.

“This is mischievously designed to present both the party and President Buhari as being undemocratic.

“On the contrary, internal organs of the party, with all the statutory powers to effect all the necessary changes will be used to give effect to all the aspirations of President Buhari, party leaders and members to rescue the APC from the leadership of His Excellency Mai Mala.

“Anybody that will emerge as a replacement of His Excellency Mai Mala and the Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe as Chairman and Secretary will have all the requisite mandate of the organs vested with such responsibility as provided by the Constitution of the party,” Lukman said in the statement.

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