Progressive Youth Vanguard (PYV), a group of All Progressives Congress (APC) members has asked the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Mai Mala Buni, to resign his position.

The group in a statement to journalists by its coordinator, Ahmed Usman, lamented what he described as “the seeming reticence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue has become frustrating.”

Governor Buni was appointed the chairman of APC’s CECPC in June 2020 after the dissolution of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party based on recommendations from President Buhari.

The NEC also said the Buni-led caretaker committee will run the affairs of the party pending when it elects new officials. 

However, Buni, who was the National Secretary of the APC before his election as Yobe State governor in the 2019 general elections, has faced a barrage of criticisms from within the party as many view his appointment as a clear violation of the APC constitution which forbids officers of the party from holding any executive position in government. 

Section 4 under article 17 reads: “No officer in any organ of the party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently.” 

Already, the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has dragged the APC acting chairman to the Federal High Court, Abuja. It prayed the court to declare that Buni contravened provisions of section 108 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), by retaining his seat as Yobe State governor while presiding over the affairs of the APC as chairman. 

The PDP is asking the court to determine whether Mai Mala Buni had not breached section 183 of the Nigerian constitution when he accepted APC’s appointment as chairman, caretaker committee and proceeded to occupy the office while still the governor of Yobe State. 

It also asked the court to determine whether Buni had not ceased to hold the office of the governor of Yobe State going by the provision of section 183 of the constitution. 

There has been a sharp division in the ruling party following a Supreme Court judgment that declared Ondo State governor and APC candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), winner of the state’s governorship election held on October 10, 2020. 

Even though the court dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the PDP, Eyitayo Jegede, the justices of the apex court reportedly agreed that a sitting governor could not hold the dual elective positions of governor and national chairman of a political party.

“We are worried by the continuous silence of President Muhammadu Buhari, the overall leader of the APC. We APC members are not prepared to take any chances anymore. We believe that within the APC, we have capable hands, former leaders regardless of generational differences at this point in time who can manage the affairs of our party. Why must it be one individual or the other?

“The provision of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) is clear and unambiguous to the effect that the Governor shall not, during the period when he holds office, hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity whatsoever.
 
“It is, therefore, incontrovertible that the continuous stay of the Governor as Chief Executive Officer of the All Progressives Congress runs contrary to the provision of the Constitution and as such may be an albatross on the party, as all he had done before would be null and void, including the nomination of candidates within the period of his so-called Leadership of the party, yet we have a President who is a leader of the party who is not saying anything.
 
Vanguard News Nigeria