BREAKING: Buhari Sacks Buni As APC Chairman, Appoints Governor Bello As ‘Sole Administrator’

President Muhammadu Buhari has allegedly approved the removal of Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni as Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the appointment of his Niger State counterpart, Abubakar Sani Bello, in his place, in what appears to be a major step toward containing the crisis plaguing the party’s leadership.

A group of APC governors is said to have complained bitterly to President Buhari that Buni was not inclined to hold the rescheduled convention because no arrangements had been made on the ground.

The president was claimed to have been enraged by what he was informed and ordered Buni’s removal and replacement right away.

Buni was unable to defend himself because he is currently in Dubai for medical reasons. When they learned of the development, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; and another top Villa player are said to have intervened on Buni’s behalf, advising the president to exercise caution.

They allegedly reminded Buhari that only the Party’s NEC could gather and dismiss Buni, and that he must have been given seven days notice of his removal. They argued, however, that anything done outside of the established procedures might be challenged in court, thus delaying the rescheduled March 26 Convention date.

However, it was unclear whether the intervention had swayed the President’s decision. However, some insiders who spoke about the situation this morning expressed displeasure that some governors went out of their way to ambush the president just before he left the country without their knowledge, creating a completely false narrative that Buni did not want the convention to take place.

“They are creating unnecessary crisis in the party, because of their selfish interests. How can they claim there are no preparations to hold the convention, when various convention sub-committees have been announced; the zonal committee is announcing the zoning formula on Monday (today).

“Committees will be inaugurated in a few days. These people are not sincere. Some governors have been scheming to take over the functions of CECPC to further their own interests.

“The immediate way out of this is; if Buni voluntarily resigns, which he had two weeks ago threatened to during the APC governors meeting in Abuja,” they claimed.

However, a source who confirmed the alleged Buni’s removal said last night that the president did not previously hint at the news when leaving the country because, as a process person, he wanted the decision to be tidied up without causing any more grievances, hence the meeting to be held today at the party’s National Secretariat.

Reiterating that Buni had already left and that the decision had already been made, the insider claimed that the relieved caretaker chairman was aware of the situation, which was why he was compelled to leave on medical reasons, and that the party sorely needed to move on.

Bello has called a meeting of the Caretaker Committee for today to do this.

He (Bello) will chair the meeting, which will begin at 10 a.m. at the party’s national secretariat, with members of the caretaker committee expected to attend.

Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, and Bello, all members of the APC, gathered in the Niger governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, yesterday.

The meeting was said to be a continuation of the governors’ meeting conducted on Saturday in Abuja.

However, it appeared that the committee’s Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, had learned of the scheme and was already prepared to close the secretariat tomorrow, despite the president’s orders.

“The resolution is that the members of the CECPC will meet at the party secretariat on Monday by 10a.m. The meeting will be chaired by the Niger State governor, because Buni is out of town. But the secretary is planning to shut down the secretariat tomorrow,” the source said.

The party source also informed THISDAY that though Bello had called a meeting of Caretaker committee members, he however foresee confusion.

“There will be confusion tomorrow. They may not have access to the venue of the meeting. They may be locked out, because there is a problem on ground.

“The Niger governor had called a meeting, but he has also been double crossed, because he won’t have access to the venue of the meeting. So, it is likely that the meeting will not,” he said.

But a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, has warned Bello to stay away from a venture he clearly lacked the powers to undertake.

Nabena insisted that Bello lacked the power to call a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting without the authorisation of the Caretaker Committee Chairman and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni.

Nabena, in a statement last night, said Bello was just an ordinary member of the Caretaker Committee and not the Chairman or Secretary.

His words: “I am using this medium to call on our leaders across the states to caution Governor Sani Bello of Niger State. The presidency should also call him to order to immediately drop the plan to convey a NEC meeting without the knowledge of Governor Mai Mala Buni and the Secretary of the CECPC.

“The likes of Governor Bello are the political vultures working against our party and to cause anarchy in the ruling APC,” stressing that the plot by Bello to destabilise the ruling party, has been on for a while because of his vice presidential ambition in 2023, hence his plan to convey a NEC meeting.

“Governor Sani Bello is neither the Chairman nor Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee. So, where did he get the power to convey such meeting? Governor Bello should not destroy the ruling APC, because of his personal political ambition of becoming Vice President or whatever in 2023,” he added.