APC crisis: Court strikes out suit against Buni-led caretaker committee

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, struck out a suit asking for the dissolution of the Mai Mala-Buni-led Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It was reported that the suit also urged the court to nullify the National Executive Committee (NEC) June 25, 2020 meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Hiwever, Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgment, held that the plaintiffs had no locus standi (legal rights) to institute the matter.

The judge said that the issues brought before the court were purely internal affairs of the APC which the court had no jurisdiction on.

It was reported that the NEC of the APC had at its meeting held at the Presidential Villa on June 25, 2020 dissolved the party’s National Working Committee, led by the then National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

The NEC, at the meeting presided over by the President Buhari set up the caretaker committee and appointed Governor Buni to head the committee.
He was sworn in by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

The meeting was attended by the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; governors elected on the platform of the party and other party stakeholders.

Prior to the June 25 NEC meeting, the party had been enmeshed in serious crisis, during which about three persons laid claim to the position of the national chairman at the same time, coupled with conflicting court judgments obtained by the warring factions.

The raging crisis had prompted the NEC to summon the meeting, during which it passed a resolution to give the Buni-led interim committee a six-month tenure within which to organise a national convention to produce the substantive leaders of the party.