Why Buhari Sacked Buni As APC National Chairman, Role Of Governors

Facts have emeerged on why President Muhammadu Buhari decided to sack the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, as the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.

The Niger State Governor bubaka Sani Bello, on Monday in Abuja presided over a meeting with members of the CECPC.

According to available information, the President took the decision to replace Buni before he jetted out of the country to the United Kingdom on Sunday for medical checkup.

In fact, it was said to be the sole reason for his not going straight to the UK as earlier announced from his trip to Kenya.

Highly placed sources within the party told The Eagle Online that two major issues led to the sacking of the Buni-led CECPC.

The first, according to one of the highly informed sources, was the influence three Governors had over the decisions taken by the CECPC, using Buni.

The Governors were said to be one each from the South West, South East and North Central.

While the Governors from the South West and South East are in their first terms in office, the one from the North Central is completing his second term.

They are said to have “undue” influence on Buni, achieving this by way of funding the activities of the CECPC, which some termed “bribery”.

Some of those opposed to the numerous shifts in the date of the party’s National Convention were said to have reported this development to President Buhari, accusing Buni of taking money from his colleague Governors to do their bidding.

However, the President was reported to have told them that he was not sure of the fact.

In this wise, those who reported the matter to the President said they could set up Buni and provide video evidence that he collects money from his brother Governors.

A second term Governor from one of the North West States was then used to achieve this.

The Governor, who is battling crisis in the state chapter of the party, was reported to have given Buni money at a meeting they had, recording it secretly.

This was presented to President Buhari, leading to the sack of Buni.

However, sources within the party insisted that there was nothing out of place for Governors supporting the platform via which they emerged.

The sources said terming such support to the leadership of the party as “bribe” was a disservice to the efforts put in by members of the CECPC.

The second issue against Buni was the accusation that the members of the CECPC had obtained a court order to scuttle the March 26, 2022 National Convention.

This leg of the accusation was contained in an article by the former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, the umbrella platform for Governors elected on the platform of the APC, Saliu Moh. Lukman.

In the article, Lukman wrote: “In addition, there were other serious allegations against the leadership of His Excellency Mai Mala, which include the discovery that his group, since November 2021, had obtained a Court injunction against the Convention and are waiting until three or two days to the Convention before serving it on the party to succeed in blocking the March 26 APC Convention from holding.

“The plot is that His Excellency Mai Mala want to continue to run the affairs of the party and conduct the party’s primary where candidates for 2023 elections would emerge.

“Based on that there are specific allegations of His Excellency Mai Mala striking some deals with some Presidential aspirants to ensure their emergence as the Presidential Candidate of APC for the 2023 elections.”