Rumble in APC as Abuja overrules Lagos on Banire

The national executive of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has overruled the suspension of its national legal adviser, Muiz Banire, by the party’s Mushin local government executive committee.

The executive committee of the APC in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State had on Thursday announced the suspension of Banire for alleged anti-party activities during the just-concluded local government elections in the state.

The committee has stated that the suspension followed recommendation by his ward (Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin).

The Acting Secretary of the Ward, Taofeek Ajani-Balogun, who announced the decision, said that Banire the decision to suspend from the party was reached during the ward meeting held to review the local government elections in the ward.

Read also: As fallout from internal power struggle, APC suspends Banire

He said, “After a critical assessment of individual activities and the performance of the party during the last elections, members of the party in Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin unanimously voted for the immediate suspension of Banire from participating in party activities in the Ward and his removal from office as National Legal Adviser.”

But in a statement in Abuja on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, said only the National Executive Committee had the power to suspend a national officer.

The statement read, “The attention of the National Working Committee, NWC of APC had been drawn to the purported suspension of the Party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN) by the Party’s executive committee in Mushin Local government area of Lagos State.

“We wish to state categorically that the purported suspension is a nullity as the local chapter of the Party does not have such powers to suspend a national officer.

“According to the Party’s constitution, such powers reside with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Party.”

The statement said “whatever issues there might be, the party structure and constitution provide ample avenues for redress and dispute resolution.

“If the local chapter is unable to achieve a resolution, the NWC can and will wade in the matter to achieve amicable settlement,” the statement concluded.

Political observers have argued that the real source of Banire’s political troubles is not unconnected with his challenge of power brokers within the party over their usual practice of imposing candidates they were favourably disposed to, as against a fair and competitive democratic process.

Some have pointed to the influential national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, who openly justified the party’s decision to hand out 18 automatic tickets to aspirants in the just-concluded local government election, as the real force behind the move for Banire’s ouster.

Many will read the swift intervention of the national arm of the party to quash the suspension as another indication that the perceived divide between the Lagos and Abuja power blocs remains.

Recall that there has been some reported tension between Tinubu and the party’s national leadership and federal government representatives over issues such as ministerial and other appointment slots, as well as election candidate choices.

Many political watchers point to the Ondo guber public spat between Tinubu and Oyegun primarily over candidate choice, where Tinubu went as far as calling for Oyegun’s resignation, as the clearest symptom yet of the undercurrent of division and power struggle.

Observers will be eager to see how this latest drama develops, and what surprises it will throw up on its way.

 

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