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Tag: Tenure Elongation

  • Oyegun schedules fresh meeting to discuss tenure elongation

    Sequel to the raging crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the controversial tenure elongation of its leaders, the party has again scheduled a fresh meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) for Monday.

    The meeting according to the national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, is to discuss the report of its technical committee on tenure elongation for party officials.

    APC NEC meeting of February 27 had extended the tenure of the National Working Committee (NEC), and those in the states by one year.

    The tenure of the officials is expected to end in June.

    However, President Muhammadu Buhari took advantage of another NEC meeting last week to announce that the February 27 decision was against the constitution of the party and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and would also attract legal battles.

    Consequently, the party set up a ten-man technical committee headed by the governor of Plateau state, Simon Lalong to review the position of NEC.

    The committee, alongside APC governors, submitted its report to the NWC led by Mr Oyegun Wednesday afternoon.

    The NWC also met with the governors after which the national chairman addressed the press and announced the decision to convene another NEC meeting.

    “Today the governors and the NWC decided to sit and look at the issue that is seemingly dividing us. I want to say that all the issues you have been talking about have been totally resolved (and) we are back as one united family,” he said.

    Oyegun also said the NEC at its last meeting authorised the setting of the technical committee.

    “Their report was sensitive and so NEC will meet on Monday and that the report will be ready before NEC meeting on Monday 9th April. Appropriate decisions will be taken when we receive the report,” he said.

    Oyegun also said the leadership of the party is “strongly behind our president”.

     

  • APC govs back Buhari, kick against tenure elongation for Oyegun, others

    Some state governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress again met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday morning.

    This time, they have resolved to support the President’s position that election of new party officials should hold at the expiration of the tenure of the current ones instead of extending their tenure.

    Those who met the President on Wednesday included governors of Zamfara, Abdulazeez Yari; Plateau, Simon Lalong; Imo, Rochas Okorocha;Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje and Ogun, Ibikunle Amosun.

    “We will abide by party constitution and hold world congress,” Yari told reporters at the end of the meeting.

    Okorocha on his part said, “There is no crisis in the APC. We met with Mr. President to fine-tune issues. The convention committee will be set out.

    “Let me correct the impression that those whose tenure has passed are free to contest. We are all one.”

    “I’m submitting my report today. There is no crisis in our party,” Lalong who heads the party’s technical committee that was inaugurated on Tuesday said.

  • UPDATED: Buhari addresses APC NEC, rejects Oyegun’s tenure elongation

    UPDATED: Buhari addresses APC NEC, rejects Oyegun’s tenure elongation

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday addressed members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and insisted that the recent tenure elongation of executives of the party was against the party and Nigeria’s constitution.

    Recall that the APC had in its NEC meeting on February 28 extended the tenure of members of National Working Committee (NWC) led by its chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun by one year.

    The decision, however, did not go down with some powerful members of the party who had since been mounting pressures that the decision be reversed.

    Speaking shortly before the commencement of NEC meeting Tuesday, President Buhari told party members at the APC national secretariat to cancel the tenure extension decision because “it is against the party constitution and the Nigerian constitution.”

    He therefore, presented the matter “for discussion” at the meeting.

    The president noted he is having a change of heart because he doesn’t want the party’s activities to be faulted by any court of law.

    NEC members were shocked because the issue of tenure extension is not in the agenda circulated to members.

    It was also not discussed at the national caucus meeting which held at the Presidential Villa Monday night, Mr. Odigie-Oyegun had said.

    Caucus meetings are precursor to what would be discussed at NEC.

    Read the president’s full speech below:

    REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE APC ON TUESDAY, 27TH MARCH, 2018

    I am delighted to once again welcome you to this National Executive Committee Meeting of our great party. As we usually do, I hope we will take the opportunity of this gathering to resolve outstanding issues and consolidate our plans towards making APC the strongest defender of the interests of our people.

    2. In particular, I think it is important for me to speak quickly on the contentious issue of the tenure of our National and State Executive Officers. As we all know, a motion was moved at the last National Executive Committee meeting of February 27, 2018, to the effect that when the tenure of the current executives expire in June this year, they should be allowed to continue for one year.

    3. This motion was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last NEC Meeting, even though some of our party members have since spoken up very vehemently against it. Others have even taken the matter to court.

    4. On my own part, I have taken some time to review and seek advise on the resolution. And what I found is that it contravenes both our party Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    5. While the APC Constitution, in Article 17(1) and 13.2(B), limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), in section 223, also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals, which must not exceed four years.

    6. Furthermore, Article 31 of our Party Constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post, must resign from his current post at least one month before the election

    7. In this circumstance, what is expected of us is to conduct fresh elections, once the tenure of the current executives approaches its end. A Caretaker Committee cannot remedy this situation, and cannot validly act in place of elected officers.

    8. Furthermore, I think if we deviate from the constitutional provisions, we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. If the tenure of our party executives can be legally faulted, then it means that any nominations and primary elections that they may conduct, can also be faulted.

    9. This is not to talk of divisions that would arise, and is already arising within the party, when some of our members feel that they are being denied the right to aspire to executive positions, or that internal democracy is not at play within the party.

    10. I am therefore of the firm view that it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and national constitutions, rather than put APC and its activities at grave risk.

    11. Fortunately, we have already approved a timetable for the holding of congresses and elections. I think these should be allowed to go forward and all efforts should now be geared towards making them a great success.

    12. Once again, I welcome you all to this meeting with the hope that we will promote, always, the highest interest of the party and of our people.

     

    Thank you.

     

  • Court fixes March 27 for suit challenging Oyegun, others tenure extension

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

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

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

    The APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission are the sixth and seventh defendants in the matter.

    Recall that at a recent joint meeting of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja, the tenure of the officials was extended by one year with effect from June 30.

    Consequent upon that decision, the applicant had on March 9 filed an originating summons, seeking the determination of the court on whether the extension of the tenure of the NEC and NWC elected or appointed members of the party was constitutional.

    He wants the court to determine if the defendants have 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 NEC and NWC members.

    The applicant, through his counsel, Mr. Babatunde Fashanu (SAN), had filed a motion ex-parte before the court, urging it to grant four orders pending the hearing of the substantive suit.

    The applicant wants an order granting leave to the plaintiff to sue the first to fifth defendants on behalf of all officers of the NEC and the NWC of the APC.

    “An order granting the applicant leave to serve the first to fourth and the sixth defendants the originating summons by leaving it with the front desk officer of the sixth defendant.

    “An order of interim injunction restraining the first to sixth defendants from implementing the purported tenure elongation of the presently elected organs of the APC; and an order of interim injunction restraining the seventh defendant from recognising the decision of the first to the sixth defendants to extend its tenure beyond four years,” the applicant added.

    He attached an affidavit sworn to by the applicant as a member of the APC to the motion.

    The counsel also attached as exhibits of a copy of the applicant’s voter card and the APC Constitution.

    In her ruling, Justice Mojosola Olatoregun granted the first two prayers but requested the applicant to put the other defendants on notice for the last two orders.

    The court also asked the applicant to serve all the processes and hearing notices on the defendants.

    The case was adjourned until March 27 for hearing of the motion.