Supreme Court Ruling: Osinbajo, APC Chieftains Developing Safe Option for Ruling Party
- A safe option to ensure the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) does not run foul of the law is being worked out
- Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is said to be meeting with all stakeholders in the party
- There are insinuations that the ward congresses of the party held recently will be cancelled
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FCT, Abuja - On the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN is reportedly working out a safe option to resolve the internal political crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The crisis came on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling last week on the fate of the current APC national caretaker leadership led by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state.
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The intervention of a legal luminary
Legit.ng gathered that VP Osinbajo has been holding consultations with party leaders and governors on a solution that will save the party from future legal traps and at the same time be acceptable to all within the APC.
Last week, the Vice President was said to have held his first legal review session with lawyers in the federal executive council where the issue was discussed and later also engaged in wide consultations with APC governors just before the ward congresses on Saturday, July 31.
The caretaker committee chairman was also reported to made his way to the Villa over the weekend with the Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to explain the stance of the current party leadership to the vice president.
It is believed that the VP, who has been asked to resolve the matter by the president, is intent on ensuring that the party benefits from what seems to be a legal warning from the Supreme Court ruling.
The verdict by the apex court had a 4-3 verdict with the justices questioning the constitutional validity of a sitting governor holding such an executive post as national party caretaker chairman.
APC ward congresses may be cancelled
While a last-minute cancelation of the congresses was on the table on Friday night, July 30, APC governors explained to the vice president that majority of them would rather prefer to go on with the exercises.
A source who is aware of the ongoing consultations said it is not true that the VP directed the Attorney General of the Federation, (AGF) Abubakar Malami, SAN on the matter especially since the AGF is not a party official.
The source added:
“As for Governor Buni, there was no communication between the VP and him until late Friday night when he reached out to the VP around midnight.
“But by then the governors had already argued for the continuation of the congresses, although some governors including one from north had strongly argued against proceeding with the ward congresses.”
The judgment of the Supreme Court on the Ondo state governorship election has declared that the interim chairmanship of Buni in the APC is illegal.
The declaration of the apex court had threatened the APC local and state congresses scheduled for Saturday, July 31 but the party went ahead with the exercise.
Some members of the ruling party had already started calling for the resignation of Buni and the caretaker committee of the APC after the Supreme Court verdict.
Legit.ng had earlier reported that Keyamo warned the APC of imminent legal tussles if Buni remains the party's caretaker chairman.
The minister advised the party in a leaked memo released on Wednesday, July 28, against going ahead with its planned congresses under Buni's leadership.
According to him, the party will be running foul of the law if Buni continues to preside over its affairs.
Source: Legit.ng
