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Court to hear APC chief’s suit against Oyegun March 27

The Federal High Court in Lagos will on March 27 hear a suit by a former commissioner in Lagos, Adewale Ahmed, seeking the nullification of the one-year extension of the All Progressives Congress (APC) officers’ tenure by its National Executive Committee.

The tenure of the party’s National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other officials at the national, state, local government and ward levels were extended at APC NEC on February 27.

The officers’ four-year tenure is to expire on June 30.

Ahmed is praying the court to declare the tenure extension unconstitutional.

He is also praying the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from dealing with the Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee once their tenure expires.

Odigie-Oyegun, Deputy National Chairman (South) Mr Segun Oni, Deputy National Chairman (North) Senator Lawal Shaibu, National Secretary Mr Ibrahim Gubi, Vice-Chairman (South-west) Mr Pius Akinyelure, APC and INEC are the defendants.

The applicant, in the March 9 Originating Summons, is praying the court to determine if the defendants had the constitutional right under Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 13 and 17 of the APC Constitution to extend the tenure of its NEC and NWC members.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun directed Ahmed to serve all the processes and hearing notices on the defendants.

She adjourned until March 27 for hearing.

March 16, 2018
Tenure elongation: Court to hear suit against Oyegun March 27

The Federal High Court in Lagos will on March 27 hear a suit filed by a former commissioner in Lagos, Adewale Ahmed, seeking the nullification of the one-year extension of the All Progressives Congress (APC) officers’ tenure by the party’s National Executive Committee.

The tenure of the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other officials at the national, state, local government and ward levels were extended at APC NEC meeting on February 27.

The officers’ four-year tenure is expected to expire on June 30.

Ahmed is praying the court to declare the tenure extension unconstitutional.

He is also praying the court to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from dealing with the Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee once their tenure expires.

Odigie-Oyegun, Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni, Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shaibu, National Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Gubi, Vice-Chairman (South-West), Mr. Pius Akinyelure, APC and INEC are the defendants.

The applicant, in the March 9 Originating Summons, is praying the court to determine if the defendants had the constitutional right under Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 13 and 17 of the APC Constitution to extend the tenure of its NEC and NWC members.

Justice Mojisola Olatoregun directed Ahmed to serve all the processes and hearing notices on the defendants.

She adjourned the matter till March 27 for hearing.

March 15, 2018
APC: Court fixes March 27 for hearing of suit on tenure elongation

A chieftain of the All progressives Congress ( APC ), Mr. Adewale Hameed, on Wednesday urged a Federal High Court in Lagos to declare the purported tenure elongation of APC’s national officers as unconstitutional.

Listed as the defendants are – the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Segun Oni and Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shaibu.

Others are – the National Secretary, Mr Ibrahim Gubi and Vice-Chairman (South-West), Mr. Pius Akinyelure, as the fourth and fifth defendants.

The APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were the sixth and seventh defendants in the matter.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had at a joint meeting in Abuja extended the tenure of the officials by one year with effect from June 30.

Read Also: APC chieftain sues Odigie-Oyegun over tenure extension

Following the decision, the applicant had on March 9 filed an originating summons, asking the court to determine whether the tenure elongation was constitutional.

He wants the court to determine if the defendants had the constitutional right under Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 13 and 17 of the APC Constitution to extend the tenure of the party officials.

NAN

March 14, 2018
Oyegun: PDP will never rule again

National Chairman of the All Progres-sives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie- Oyegun yesterday declared the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) can never rule Nigeria again.

He dismissed the PDP as dead with nothing to offer in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

Oyegun spoke during the Katsina State grand rally and reception of over 300,000 defectors from other political parties into the APC.

Among the defectors were: Ibrahim Muhammad Ida, former PDP Senator representing Katsina central; Hon. Ya’u Umar Gwojo Gwojo, two terms Speaker of the House of Assembly; Hon. Bature Masari, 2015 PDP Campaign Director General and Dr. Yusha’u Armiya’u, among others.

The APC chairman said: “With the number of defectors I received into our great party today in Katsina, we can say without fear that PDP is dead and buried and can’t recapture Nigeria again come 2019.

“A party where virtually all their bigwigs, Senator Ibrahim Ida and host of others had deserted because they have seen the light and are now in the fold of APC, so you can see that PDP is weak even in Katsina State.

“I have been receiving lots of defectors in other states of the federation but the ones I received today are the best considering their reputations.”

Oyegun said the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari has generated about 7000 MWs of electricity within three years, stressing the administration had repositioned the power sector and agriculture via meaningful projects.

Governor Aminu Masari said PDP had been completely decimated with no capacity to make any impact in the governorship and Presidential elections, let alone winning.

March 11, 2018
PDP will never rule Nigeria again, says Oyegun

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun on Saturday declared that the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) can never rule Nigeria again.

He described the PDP as ” dead in such states like Katsina and not capable of re-capturing political power come 2019 general elections.”

Chief Oyegun, who made the declaration in Katsina, during the Katsina state grand rally and reception of over 300,000 decampees from other political parties into APC, said PDP has nothing to offer in the next year’s general elections.

The decampees include: Senator Ibrahim Muhammad Ida, former PDP Senator representing Katsina central, Hon. Ya’u Umar Gwojo Gwojo, two terms Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Bature Umar Masari, 2015 PDP Campaign Director General, Dr. Yusha’u Armiya’u, among others.

He said, “With the number of decampees I received into our great party today in Katsina. We can say without fear that PDP is dead and buried and can’t recapture Nigeria again come 2019.

“A party where virtually all their bigwigs, Senator Ibrahim Ida and host of others had deserted because they have seen the light and are now in the fold of APC, so you can see that PDP is weak even in Katsina state.

“I have been receiving lots of decampees in other states of the federation but the ones I received today are the best considering their reputations”.

Chief Oyegun, however, said the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has generated about 7000 MWs of electricity within three years, stressing that the president had repositioned the power sector and agriculture via meaningful projects.

“When we came on board we meet 3000 MWs of electricity, but the president has increased it to 7000 MWs within a shortest period of time. On agriculture, Buhari has made the sector almost self-sufficient for everyone”.

Earlier in a welcome address at the occasion, the state Governor Aminu Bello Masari, said that PDP had been completely decimated and have no capacity to make any impact in the governorship and Presidential elections, let alone winning them

March 10, 2018
APC zonal chair accuses Oyegun of impunity

The National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South, Utufam Hilliard Eta,yesterday alleged gross impunity by the National Working Committee (NWC) in the running of the party’s affairs.

Eta told reporters at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja accused the national chairman,Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the National Organising Secretary,Senator Osita Izunaso,in particular, of treating the party’s constitution with contempt.

“In my place, we have a saying that when a lizard falls into a ditch, it becomes a play thing for the fowl. The party has now become a play thing between the National Chairman and the National Organizing Secretary,” he said,citing the crisis in the APC in Cross River State.

His words: ” I do things according to the law. The NWC has not been invited on any matter concerning Cross Rivers state.

“Until such is done, I will present to my colleagues a detailed narrative of how this constitution has been violated so that a particular narrative will be instituted or established in Cross Rivers state. Until such a meeting is held I can do nothing.

“But if you must know, a lot of the National Working Committee members have been complaining about the extra constitutional processes that goes on at the National Secretariat, especially under the watch of Osita Izunazo, the Organising Secretary.”

He also accused the party’s Deputy National Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni of complicity in the matter, adding that what was expected of the party leadership was to have given all the necessary support to the reconciliation committee headed by a former Lagos state Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“From all intents and purposes, these issues are orchestrated…you know, the Asiwaju committee was constituted just a few days ago and these issue has been hanging on Cross River state since the appointment of the Minister.

“The question that you will now ask is how come that immediately after the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu committee was constituted by the president, the National Chairman the Deputy National Chairman, South and the National Organizing Secretary became so much in a hurry, so much interested and so much aggressive in their attempt to have this all-important chairman that they could not have in more than two years. What is the purpose?”

Continuing,Eta said: “There was a consensus in the Cross River state chapter that we should have a congress to bring in a substantive chairman since the erstwhile chairman had been appointed as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

“That was the agreement by the people of Cross River state and based on that, I wrote on behalf of the zone to the National Working Committee NWC to give the zone the authority to conduct a congress to that effect and the NWC said I should liaise with the office of the National Organizing Secretary (headed by Sen. Osita Izunaso) for that purpose.

“We had set November 28 last year for that congress to happen but unfortunately, a member of the party went to court and got an injunction and served the processes on the party. So, based on the advice of the National Legal Adviser, we were asked to stay action as a party.

“So in the next NWC meeting when the matter of Cross Rivers came up I was asked to make comments on what happened and why we couldn’t conduct congresses and the resolution of the NWC was that because we were very close to conducting congresses nationwide, that all congresses to fill vacant positions in the country, not just in the state should be set aside and that all the vacant positions would be filled at the same time during the congresses that would be held simultaneously to bring in new executives. That was the resolution of the NWC.

“I was away and it was a surprise to me to receive a text message on my phone purportedly sent by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, South, Engr. Segun Oni inviting stakeholders of Cross River state to the secretariat ostensibly to discuss the issue of the chairmanship, in direct contrast and contravention to the position of the NWC.

“I now wrote a letter handing over the matter of Cross River state to the Asiwaju-led reconciliation committee because in my thinking the crisis that engulfed the state chapter needs reconciliation before any congress is conducted.

March 10, 2018
No tenure extension for Oyegun, others yet – Edo APC

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo State has dismissed reports that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party approved the extension of the National Working Committee (NWC)’s tenure.

The party said no decision was reached at the party’s NEC meeting about extending the tenure of the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun.

The state Chairman of the party, Anselm Ojezua, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin City on Friday, said only a motion was move to extend the tenure of Oyegun and others but NEC was reminded about provisions of the party’s constitution.

He insisted that no decision was reached at the NEC meeting on tenure elongation, adding that state chairmen of the party supported the plan because they were beneficiaries of the arrangement.

Ojezua warned that APC must act fast because the tenure of the party executives would expire soon.

He said: “There must be a misconception as what decision the National Executive Committee of the APC made. There was a motion put before NEC proposing the extension of tenure for a number of reasons but our attention was also drawn to the constitution of the party that it does not contain any provision for extension and that should it be that there was extension, something has to be done to satisfy the constitutional provision.

“There was no decision to extend tenure of the NWC. A motion was passed indicating a preference that tenure be extended. But there was the realization that the constitution does not permit it and therefore there must be a further action taken on it. No decision was taken to extend tenure of the executives.”

March 9, 2018
Lagos APC kicks against tenure elongation for Oyegun, others

The Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against the “elongation” of the party’s national and state executives tenure, saying it is against the country’s and APC’s constitutions.

Rising from a Consultative Forum held at the State House Marina, Lagos and attended by party elders from across the state, the leaders said the extension of the tenure of the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, and his executives by one year was against the spirit of the country’s and APC’s constitutions.

Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides for periodical election on a democratic basis for principal officers and members of the executive committee of political parties. According to the constitution, election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party will be deemed to be periodical if done at regular intervals not exceeding four years.

Article 17 of the party’s constitution also provides for a four-year tenure for its national and state executives, which is renewable for another four years.

The leade of the party in Lagos State Central Senatorial District, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, spoke with journalists after the consultative forum.

He said: “We have taken reports of the state APC chairman in respect of the NEC meeting held in Abuja. We have also had the privilege of receiving great reports from our leader from the reconciliation committee.

“We have considered the issue of extension of tenure and we are of the firm belief that the decision is a breach of the constitution of our party and of the country. We are against the elongation of tenure.

“We shall continue to make our decision known to the party and to the president”.

The tenure of Oyegun and the executives is due to expire in June.

Section 223 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended, specifically states that:

“(1)The Constitution and rules of a political party shall

(a) provide for the periodical election on a democratic basis of the principal officers and members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party; and

(b) ensure that the members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party reflect the federal character of Nigeria.

(2) For the purposes of this section –

(a) the election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party shall be deemed to be periodical only if it is made at regular intervals not exceeding four years; and…”

In extending the tenure, the APC National Executive Committee had relied on Article 13.3 (ii) of its constitution which states that The NEC can discharge the functions of the convention in a period of emergency.

Article 13.3 (ii) of APC Constitution specifically states that the NEC of the party is empowered to;

“Discharge all functions of the National Conventions as constituted in between Conventions”.

But the provision in Article 13.3 (ii) is not limitless and open-ended. It is a responsibility restricted by the same constitution, which provides exclusively under Article 30 (i) that: ”This Constitution and Schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the Party.”

The party’s constitution provides the processes for constitution amendment.

Article 30 “(ii) Notice of any proposed amendment by any member or organ of the Party shall be given to the National Secretary at least twenty-one (21) days before the date of the National Convention. The notice, which shall be in writing, shall contain a clear statement of the proposed amendment and reasons thereof.

(iii) Notice of proposed amendment(s) shall be served on the members of the National Convention at least fourteen (14) days before the date of the meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered. Publication of the notice of the proposed amendments in a National Newspaper shall be deemed to be sufficient Notice.

(iv)The Constitution or any part thereof shall stand amended if a proposed amendment is supported by at least two thirds of the delegates present and voting.

(v) Where new positions and Offices are created as a result of the amendment of this Constitution, the relevant Executive Committee shall until the next Convention or Congress fill such positions and office in an interim capacity.”

March 7, 2018
Akeredolu, Oyegun and 2019 polls

GOVERNOR Rotimi Akeredolu caused a stir during a recent radio programme tagged ‘Meet the Governor’ when he declared that the Ahmed Bola Tinubu-led presidential reconciliation committee was not needed in Ondo State. It seemed to many commentators that the animus carried over from the November 2016 Ondo governorship poll had not ended, a bitterness that was reported to have reflected in the then governor-elect’s victory speech that November. In response to a question by his interviewers on the reconciliation effort directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor controversially declared: “(Tinubu) has no business coming to Ondo State since there was no crisis…All is well with APC in Ondo State; we are waxing stronger. Olusola Oke (a rival claimant to the throne) has just returned to stay longer, so Asiwaju Tinubu has no reason to come here. Where there is peace, you don’t need a peacemaker so you don’t create more problems. The Presidential reconciliation committee is not needed here in Ondo State; there is peace in Ondo APC.”

On Tuesday, however, Mr Akeredolu issued a clarification that suggested his statement was misinterpreted, not misquoted. Here is how he interpreted what he said on the radio, according to his spokesman: “He (Akeredolu) wishes to make it clear that the Asiwaju Tinubu-led reconciliation committee is welcome in Ondo State at any time. The committee will, however, find that it has no work to do in the state, as there is peace and stability in the Ondo State APC. The Governor never doubts the ability of Asiwaju Tinubu to successfully carry out this onerous task of uniting our great party and putting it in good stead for the task ahead. The Governor does not deny the legitimacy of Senator Ajayi Boroffice’s position as the senator representing Ondo North senatorial district. The point (the governor) made was that he knows of only two APC senators in the state, who are currently working with the state government for the upliftment of Ondo State.”

How this clarification rebutted the original ‘twist’ he alleged was given his statement is not quite clear. Perhaps he meant to say that in suggesting that Asiwaju Tinubu did not need to come to Ondo to reconcile warring groups, he did not say it with a sneer. Well, if it was not said sneeringly — and the tenor of that statement is indeed open to many interpretations — the statement at least echoed elements of the gaffes idiosyncratic to him. The governor speaks candidly, sometimes offensively and even disparagingly. And it is clear that if he had been more reflective, he really should have been able to say what was on his mind in a more diplomatic and sensitive way without compromising his beloved candour.

Hear Mr Akeredolu when he responded in 2016 to questions relating to his refusal to acknowledge the same Asiwaju Tinubu in his victory speech: “On the names that were mentioned in my speech when expressing gratitude, and that I didn’t specifically thank Bola Ahmed Tinubu: I thanked the President and the leader of our party profusely for the leadership which he showed leading to this election. I also thanked our indefatigable chairman for standing by the truth and for his position on this matter that led to this election…Party structure to the best of my knowledge is very clear. You have the leadership of the party and that is represented by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. After the election, a chief executive emerges, he becomes a leader of the party, you don’t have to personalise and be looking for leaders all over the place. If we have to do that, then I will have to mention 36 or 37 leaders. So I believe the leadership as represented by the President covers all leaders and that tells me it would include Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, it would include even Baba Akande, Onu, and so many leaders. But President Buhari is the leader of the party.” After all, did the president himself not insist during a cocktail that the APC did not have two national leaders?

Regardless of his offensive candour, the often impatient Mr Akeredolu is absolutely entitled to embrace or objurgate whomsoever he likes, and to play his politics to suit both his private philosophy and his person. Indeed, he has stretched this freedom liberally to now fully embrace, idolise and propagate the person and worldview of President Buhari. At a rally to mark his first year anniversary, and in the presence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, the governor threw in his lot with the president with this fawningly insinuative statement: “Here in Ondo State, we are supporting Buhari for a second term, and nothing can change that. We are with Buhari and Oyegun. I have to commend members of the state House of Assembly for tolerating me. I also thank Ade Adetimehin, who is the only chairman of the APC in Ondo State. Any other one is a counterfeit. Anybody who wants to fight should fight. This is not a hidden support; we are declaring it openly. I am one of the governors that will give everything it takes for him (Buhari) to secure a second term in 2019. I am open and frontal about my support for his second term.” Mr Akeredolu obviously knows which side his bread is buttered.

It seems, after all, that Ondo is actually in need of some reconciliation. But let that pass. If the pugnacious governor says he does not want to be reconciled with anybody, he is free to nurse his bellicosity and keep his daggers permanently drawn. Alas, since the exit of Obafemi Awolowo, the Southwest has apparently grown enamoured of trifling and mediocre politics. Their lodestar used to be their unmatched fondness for regicidal politics, even in Chief Awolowo’s time; now, it is obsession with enervating factionalism. One governor is building an estate named after the president; another reports his leading traditional ruler to the president; and yet another now swears to sink or swim with the same president. You would think the lionised president had propounded some earthshaking political philosophy or built an unparalleled administrative system such as the world has never known.

March 4, 2018
Legal obstacle for Oyegun’s, others’ tenure extension

More facts emerged yesterday on the fate of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The process of extending party executives’ tenure is spelt out in the Nigerian Constitution, legal sources said, quoting Section 233 (1).

Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello had announced on Tuesday that the National Executive Committee (NEC) granted the John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC an extension of tenure – a claim that was debunked by Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Chairman and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari.

Yari said such an extension could be effective with a constitutional amendment, which only a National Convention could do.

“Article 30 of the APC constitution states: The constitution and the schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the party.

“The process of amending the constitution is also expressly provided in Article 30 sub section 2. This states: “Notice of any proposed amendment by any member or organ of the party shall be given to the National Secretary at least 14 days before the date of the National Convention. The Notice shall be in writing, shall contain a clear statement of the proposed amendment and reasons for it,” Yari said.

Yari added: “What was done today (yesterday) is only an expression of a desire to extend the tenure of Chief Oyegun-led National Executive.”

Many party chiefs and members yesterday realised that those who claimed that the NWC’s tenure had been extended were wrong.

Many members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) were yesterday backing out of the decision to extend the tenure of the party’s executives when they discovered that it requires an amendment to the constitution.

The party has slated another NEC meeting for this month to begin the march to the national convention, the only organ of the party that can amend the constitution.

Article 30 of the APC constitution stipulates that “this constitution and the schedule hereto can be amended only by the National Convention”.

This is in conformity with article 223 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution which stipulates: “The Constitution and rules of political party shall provide for the periodical election on a democratic basis of the principal officers an members of executive committee or other governing body of the political party.”

Oyegun said yesterday that the NEC decision to grant the tenure elongation was because of the “the mighty task” ahead of the party.

He told reporters in his office that the party wanted to avoid going into the general elections in a crisis, pointing out that congresses and electoral process were potential conflict areas that could affect the general election.

He said that the leadership of the party was not expecting the decision to be welcome by all members of the party, adding that it was impossible to have 100 per cent support for such a decision.

Oyegun said: “Well, I don’t want to talk on this sensitive political issue. Suffice it to say that whatever is happening naturally will be contrary view. So, it will be so difficult if you come out with total, one hundred per cent unanimity.

“But I think the reasons for not wanting to hold some of these elective congresses this year is very clear; we have such a mighty work to do this year and each one has the potential of causing crisis. It has always been that once there is an election, it always creates its own issue.

“We are going to have first set of party elections, second set of elections to governmental aspirants, other House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and so on.

“So, we just felt we could defer some of these issues or the party felt some of these challenges can be deferred for one year because of the serious task before us which are the national elections, and people gave the good examples of Ekiti and Osun. The last time, because elections were due in those two states, the filling of party offices had to be deferred.”

Oyegun did not, however, say if the “decision” was legal.

A chieftain of the party, Timi Frank, described the “decision” of the NEC as “undemocratic”.

In a statement in Abuja, Frank said the action of the NEC in extending the tenure of the NWC was a clear indication that it does not respect even its own laid down rules and guidelines.

March 1, 2018