Politics
APC constitution review will accommodate wider participation of members – Buni
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to review the party constitution to accommodate the interests of its growing members across the country.
This comes as the APC, at its 13th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, constituted a 7-man ‘Constitution Review Committee’ to improve upon the constitution drafted by its founding fathers over 10 years ago.
The members of the committee are: Hon. Mai Mala Buni – Chairman, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele – South West, Barr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba – South South, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari – North West, Prof. Babagana Umar Zulum – North East, among others. The committee is required to come up with a workable document and submit its recommendations to the party’s NEC for adoption.
In an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Chairman of the Committee and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, stressed that the idea is geared towards promoting inclusivity and greater participation of party members across the country.
Buni, who noted that the concerns of the party and its members are key to achieving great success, emphasized that areas of the constitution that require adjustments will be fixed to fit into current realities.
“The 13th National Executive Committee (NEC), in its wisdom, appointed us as members of the party to look at certain parts of the constitution with a view to expanding it. We are to expand and look at many critical areas that we will improve upon. And of course, certain areas that will benefit members of the party and ensure wider participation.
“As you are aware, there is nothing like static perfection. Development is about continuous improvement, and of course, laws are made for men, men are not made for laws. Laws can always be adjusted to accommodate the interests of the party and its members.
“A party like the APC, the biggest party in Africa today, has so many leaders. I want to assure you, the committee will deliver. The party is growing, and we have to do many things to accommodate more people. You know, a political party is where you have a lot of competing and conflicting interests. The President, in his wisdom, has seen to all these things, and of course, there has been a clamour for many changes. With that, I am sure we are going to address some of these clamours.
“The caliber of the members of the committee are seasoned and committed party members who are willing to contribute to the development of the party,” he said.
Gov. Buni, however, assured that the committee would make consultations with the founding fathers to produce an improved version of the constitution that will be beneficial to the party and its members. He said, “Those who drafted the constitution of the party, we are consulting them because we know it takes wisdom to produce a party constitution. We cannot discard their wisdom and create something different. We will consult them.
“It is all about inclusivity. We are going to work on that, and by the grace of God, we are sure God will guide us and see us through to deliver the work as expected of us.”
Speaking on whether the schedule of the committee will further cement the party for the 2027 general elections, the Yobe governor said, “The party is initially structured into six geopolitical zones. Each geopolitical zone is headed by a committee, and I happen to be the one in charge of the North East. This new committee is to strengthen and further widen the scope of operations and for proper inclusion. It is all about inclusivity.
“We don’t want to exclude people; we want to include people. That means we want to have a document that will strengthen the party and prepare it for the 2027 election.
“Political parties don’t have a stopgap where you say, ‘You stop here, and then you continue at the end.’ No. It is all about end-to-end, open-ended things. You start from 2023 to 2027; it’s all about preparation. While the President is working and delivering to the nation, it is in preparation for 2027.
“There is no specific time for certain things; it is all about being in government. You are the one expected to be delivering. So, it is part of the delivery. We are delivering it, and it is part of it. We are strengthening the party. You can’t strengthen the party by being static. That is the point I am driving at. We can’t be static and expect to be delivering; you keep improving, and that’s what we are trying to do.”
The immediate past deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers State, Dr Emana Ambrose Amawhe has resigned her membership of the party with immediate effect.
In a letter dated 28th March, 2025 addressed to the Chairman of Edem Odo Ward in Akpabuyo Local Government Council of Cross River State, she said, her resignation was with immediate effect.
She pointed out in the letter that her resignation should not be taken lightly, while she reaffirmed her commitment to and readiness to serve the government of Cross River and Nigeria in general in any capacities.
She said, “I am writing to formally resign my membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect.
”I sincerely appreciate the opportunity given to me over time to contribute my quota to the growth of the party and the chance to serve as the Deputy Governorship Candidate in the last general elections.
”It was a privilege to be part of the PDP’s vision and engage with our people in meaningful ways. However, after much reflection in light of the current state of affairs within the party, I believe it is time for me to move on.
“This decision was not made lightly, but I remain committed to serving my community and contributing to the progress of our state and nation in other capacities.”
Ambrose-Amawhe was the running mate to Senator Sandy Onor in the 2023 governorship election in Cross River.
She had also contested for the House of Representatives seat for the Bakassi/Akpabuyo/Calabar South Federal Constituency under the PDP.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Rivers State Chapter, Chief Tony Okocha, has defended the emergency rule declared by President Bola Tinubu in the state, citing escalating security threats.
According to Chief Okocha, Rivers State was on the brink of anarchy due to increasing security concerns in various parts of the state.
Okocha made this statement while addressing journalists at the APC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
Justifying the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the declaration of a state of emergency, Okocha commended the President for his “timely” intervention and criticized those opposing the decision.
“The state of emergency called by Mr. President saved Rivers State from anarchy. When you see non-state actors brandishing guns and making statements that promote lawlessness, then you should know there is a problem.
“I see some people jumping onto television platforms to cast aspersions on Mr. President and condemn what they do not understand. Mr. President knows more than they do.
“The truth of the matter is that Rivers State was headed towards anarchy. We all know Rivers is one of the states that sustain this country. Some of the same people criticizing the President now would have also condemned him if he had done nothing.”
Chief Okocha also questioned the silence of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) when the Rivers State House of Assembly complex was demolished under Governor Fubara’s administration.
“Thank God, President Goodluck Jonathan has been president, General Obasanjo has been president, and they know that every day on their table, they receive security reports.
“I hear the NBA saying the suspension is an affront to democracy. But when the assembly complex was burned and the next day, eleven pieces of equipment were deployed to demolish it, the NBA was silent. They were alive, yet we didn’t hear anything from them”, he said.
Reacting to criticism over why the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was not sanctioned despite allegations that he contributed to the unrest, Okocha argued that Wike was not involved in the crisis.
He said, “For those asking why the Governor and members of the State House of Assembly were suspended but not the Minister of the FCT—was he in the frame? The answer is no”
Former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 general election, Adewole Adebayo said, God has told him that the party will produce the next president in 2027 general election.
Speaking over the weekend in Abeokua when he met the members and executive who were led by the State Chairman, Yinka Ola-Williams, said he could confirm that a President of SDP will mount Aso Rock villa in 2027.
“One thing that God is telling me is that there will be an SDP president in the villa in 2027.
“For the first time in a long time, we will have people who care for the people. Let’s remain focused. The problems of Nigeria are our problems, not individuals.
“We are not against Tinubu as a person but we are against hunger, inflation, poverty, insecurity, unemployment. That’s what we are against,” he said.
Buttressing Adebayo’s position on modalities of joining the party, the SDP Chairman in Ogun State, Mr. Yinka Ola-Williams, disowned 30,000 membership cards and registers allegedly being flaunted by one of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants in the 2023 governorship election in the State.
Ola-Williams said the party’s door is widely opened to anybody who wants to join, but such a person or group, no matter how highly placed, must follow the procedure as laid down in the party’s constitution.
He emphatically stated that the party had nothing to do with the membership cards and registers claimed by the aspirant, who said he got them from the party’s National Secretariat.
“We want people to join us, and we want to work together to provide a better government than what we have now that will remove poverty, provide a better healthcare system for people, improve education and all.
“But not that they come to the party, hijack the party and take the structure away. That’s what we will not agree,” Ola-Williams said.
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