The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has called on the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Mai Mala Buni to resign immediately.
CityNews Nigeria reports that the Minister was reacting to yesterday’s Supreme Court judgment in the Ondo State governorship election involving Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Eyitayo Jegede.
Judges had the Apex Court had unanimously agreed that it was illegal for Mai Mala Buni to be the governor of Yobe State and also hold an elective position
However, majority of the judges (4-3) dismissed Jegede’s appeal over failure to had the APC chairman as a defendant in the suit.
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday night, Festus Keyamo called on the APC chairman to resign immediately to save the party from disgrace.
The senior lawyer stated this in a statement titled ‘THE IMPLICATION OF THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT TODAY IN JEGEDE VS AKEREDOLU AS IT AFFECTS THE APC IS THAT THE PARTY MUST HALT ALL PREPARATIONS AND CONDUCT OF CONGRESSES NATIONWIDE FORTHWIT.’
The minister also called on the party to immediately stop all preparation and conduct of congresses nationwide.
He said: “Jegede was challenging the competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni as a sitting Governor to run the affairs of the APC as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee.
“He contends that this is against Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution which states that a sitting governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.
“In other words, had Buni been joined in the suit, the story may have been different today as we would have lost Ondo State to the PDP.
“Therefore, any other person affected by the actions of the Buni-led Committee will henceforth not fail to join him in any subsequent case in court.
“These includes any subsequent election matter in any part of this country and all the APC Congresses that are about to hold. The Supreme Court has just weaponised all those that would be aggrieved by the APC Congresses to proceed to court to challenge the competence of the Buni-led CECPC to organise the congresses and National Convention.
“The judiciary will subsequently destroy the entire structure of the Party from bottom to top.â€
Keyamo pointed out that the Supreme Court has just given the APC a useful hint to save the ruling just before the beginning of its Congresses.
According to him, the planned congresses across the country slated for this weekend must immediately be suspended because it will be an exercise in futility .
He stated that the competence of Gov. Mai Mala Buni to organise the congresses has been called to question by the Supreme Court.
“Firstly, the NEC of the Party can URGENTLY meet and consider and reconstitute the CECPC to exclude, not only Gov. Buni, but anyone holding ANY executive position in any government establishment as stipulated in Article 17 of the APC Constitution.
“WHO SUMMONS NEC NOW AS THERE IS TECHNICALLY NO COMPETENT NATIONAL CHAIRMAN?
“Under Article 25 of the APC Constitution, it is the National Chairman OR TWO-THIRDS OF MEMBERS OF NEC that can Summon a NEC meeting.
“Since we cannot vouch for the legality of any NEC meeting summoned by MAI MALA now, the safest is to get TWO-THIRDS of NEC members to sign an Invitation to summon a NEC meeting where the CECPC would be reconstituted and our Party would be safe.
“Alternatively, the Board of Trustees of the Party, which includes Mr. President, can be activated to organise a National Convention in line with Article 13 of the APC Constitution where it is given such powers. Those powers can be delegated at the meeting to a Committee in line with the APC Constitution which will run the Party and plan the Convention.
“The new exco can then plan for Congresses.
“Above are my humble and respectful suggestions to save our Party from imminent danger in the light of the Supreme Court judgment today. To ignore this and do otherwise would be tantamount to playing with fire and the opposition would simply wait till our Presidential Primaries in 2023 to disqualify our candidate and destroy the party,â€Â Keyamo’s statement concluded.
