Buni: Lawyers Warn APC To Heed S/Court Ruling

Some senior lawyers have cautioned the All Progressives Congress, APC against sustaining the Governor Mala Buni led leadership of the party saying that it is a direct affront to the Supreme Court judgment on the Ondo governorship tussle.

 GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that the Supreme Court had raised objections to Buni’s appointment as chairman of the APC national caretaker committee saying that it was against the provisions of the constitution and the APC constitution.

Lawyers who spoke to Daily Trust on Monday, August 2, 2021 cautioned that the APC should take seriously the pronouncement of the Supreme Court and reorganise itself.

Prof Paul Ananaba (SAN) said the position of the Supreme Court being that it would have viewed the suit on the nomination of the APC governorship candidate in a different way, may have voided the election in favour of the other side, had Buni been joined as a party.

“Is holding an office in a political party a private position? So, if EFCC is probing a political party, you will say it is probing a private entity? This is an organisation that can solicit for funds from everybody,” he said.

“The Supreme Court is right in their interpretation and I agree. I think the best thing is for the APC to review and fall in line with the judgment until that judgment is overturned.

“They made that point clear on the non-joinder of the governor. It is a finding of law and fact that the governor ought not to have signed that nomination document. That is why I agree with Keyamo’s position.

“Anybody, who runs an election based on Buni’s committee, that election would be voided. I want all the political parties to compete fairly rather than that rendition to be an albatross that would remove anybody that runs there. Even if INEC recognises that election, the election tribunal going up to the Supreme Court would nullify that election. Similar thing happened in Zamfara.”

Also speaking on the issue, Buhari Yusuf Esq said he expects APC to have learnt its lessons to avoid the situation which led to its loss of Zamfara, Rivers and Bayelsa “Through these kinds of reckless legal banditry.”

Yusuf said, although there ought not to be confusion as to the clear wordings of the Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution supported by Article 17(4) of the Constitution of APC, which permits Governor Buni to carry out his functions as caretaker committee chairman because both sections speak about holding “executive office”.

“If I were them, I would have retraced my steps and key into the acceptable legal ethos. But politicians being what they are, they always believe that there is a way out there; that when we reach the bridge, we will know how to cross it” he said.

“I am with those people cautioning APC to halt everything and go back to the drawing board, reassert themselves. And come up with more creative ways.”

In his view, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh Esq said Section 287 of the Nigerian Constitution states that the decision of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons, adding that “If anybody challenges any action of the APC in the future, the high court would still rely on the Supreme Court decision.”

Source: Daily Trust

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