A former legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muiz Banire (SAN), has said the party’s congresses may lead to internal implosion of the party.
He said the latest development surrounding the legality of the National Caretaker Committee headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State is not good for the party.
Speaking in a Channels Television programme, Sunday Politics, Banire faulted the decision of the Buni committee to proceed with the ongoing congresses when the Supreme Court ruling on the Ondo governorship election is not clear about the legality or otherwise of the committee
He said if indeed the Supreme Court had ruled that Buni’s position as APC Caretaker Committee Chairman is illegal, he shouldn’t have signed the notification papers of the congresses submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He said: “My view is that what is going on is reckless, to say the least. My expectation is that the congresses should have been postponed for several reasons.
“In the first place, to the best of my knowledge within their circle, I know that there is no credible register upon which they can premise any congress at all.
“Secondly, I’m aware, if no other place that in Lagos State that even those who are supposed to conduct the congress were just conveying stakeholders meeting some few hours to the congress without any ward committee.
“No register was displaced, people didn’t even buy the nomination form, and they didn’t submit anything and nobody screen anybody.
From my perspective, it was a complete shame. “For whatever it is, we should have considered the decision of the apex court, I think last Wednesday, one would have expected a ver responsible manager to tarry a bit let the cloud be cleared.
“Right now, as I’m talking to you it is very cloudy and nobody understands the gravity or the impulse of the Supreme Court decision on Wednesday on Governor (Rotimi) Akeredolu case. “And in such circumstances, you do not proceed until you are clear in your thought and your ways. As of day, I can tell you that so many opinions have been expressed but all of them I will say without fear of contradiction they are all speculative and premature. “Nobody has seen the official judgement of the court as of today. By tomorrow the certified true copy will be realised for people to digest them and now be able to make informed decisions and opinions. “And in such circumstances, why would they proceed? Why are they in a hurry to do something which eventually might end up being calamitous because if eventually it is the truth that the apex court came to conclusion, unanimously for that matter that Governor Buni ought not to have signed any of the nomination papers of Governor Akeredolu.
“The same thing will be applied to the congress they are doing because the letter of notification to INEC was signed equally by Governor Buni.
“If the foundation is lacking, certainly you won’t build anything on it. So, at the end of the day, the whole exercise would be a nullity. It is a complete waste of everybody’s time.
“So, for me, the least I can say is that the exercise is just simply reckless because I do not want to use the word irresponsible as I said before. But let me just say it is reckless.”
Banire also faulted those who claimed that the party is using the register generated from its recent registration.
According to him, the APC does not have any party register and none was used during the ward congresses.
He added: “I’m aware that the party did registration but there is a difference between registration and register.
You can do registration. It is the process of compilation and computerization that would lead to having a register of party members.”