The deputy national chairman (north) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lawal Shuaibu, has said that the lawless actions of the national chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, may lead to the eventual ruin of APC, if not curbed.
Shuaibu said that Oshiomhole has subjected the party “to arbitrary administration, without dictates of the law”, faulting the party for disregarding his suggestion when he asked Oshiomhole to step down as chairman in order for the party to refocus and rebuild.
In a statement titled, ‘APC and its future, let us exercise caution’ and issued to the press, Shuaibu said:
“The ruling party which ought to be a model for others in the upholding of the rule of law, is now the nest of lawlessness,” he said
“Interestingly, all the issues I raised in my said letter have come to pass. Till date, the party, founded on the principles of constitutionalism and rule of law, is now subject of arbitrary administration, without regard for the dictates of the law.
“The ruling party which ought to be a model for others in the upholding of the rule of law, is now the nest of lawlessness. The entire legal framework governing the party administration in Nigeria today, the Nigerian constitution, the party constitution, the electoral act and INEC regulations and guidelines are more honoured by the party in breaches than obedience.
“To buttress my above assertion, the following few examples will drive the point home. By (Article 9.1(ii) and 9.4 (i) of the APC Constitution as amended, pages 6 and 8) every member will be registered at his ward when his or her name is entered in the register by the ward executives.
“My understanding of this provision is that power in the party is exercised bottom up! What this means is that every member of the party is answerable to his constituency. Being a party member, therefore, is a constitutional issue embedded in the membership register.
“Also, the constitution of the party stipulates a mandatory meeting of the national executive committee (NEC) every three months (Article 25 B (i) of the APC constitution as amended.). This regular meeting is not only targeted at keeping the members abreast of developments, but ensuring collective responsibility of decision taken by the combined effect of the above provision and Article 18 of the APC Constitution as amended).
“NEC is the main decision-making organ after the convention, and shall meet every three months. The power to set up standing or ad-hoc committees of the party is vested in the same NEC.”
“It is this refusal to convene NEC to perform its role that has led the party to the comatose state it is now. My fear is, it is being repeated now for Ondo and Edo,” he added.
Shuaibi also pointed out that Waziri Bulama’s appointment as the party’s acting national secretary on Monday, was not democratically elected, describing the exercise as a nullity.
“The APC constitution in Article 20 (a) made it unambiguously clear, that all party posts prescribed or implied by this constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at the respective convention (in the case of NWC or NEC) or congress (in the case of executive committees at state, local government or ward levels) et tal,” he said.
“There is nowhere in that same constitution where it was envisaged that an officer of the party could be appointed by the chairman nor the NWC.
“Not even NEC has the power to appoint any national officer of the party.
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