Lukman says President Buhari did the right thing on Buni

The immediate past Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum Salihu Lukman said President Buhari did the right thing to have facilitated the removal of Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State as the Chairman Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress.

He said Buhari’s handling of the issue in the party is desirable but said though he may have agreed that there are issues and asked that due process be followed in effecting a change. He stressed that President Buhari does not micro-manage the party but gives room for people to do their job.

He made this remark while appearing virtually on a live talk show programme of a national private television yesterday.

Prior to the ouster of Governor Mai Mala Buni, Salihu Lukman who is a member of the ruling party had raised the alarm that Buni was not working in the interest of the APC.

And because of his gut in exposing Buni’s alleged acts of subterfuge and attempts to defer the national convention of the APC for as long as possible, some powerful elements in the party forced Lukman to resign last January as the Director-General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum.

Lukman said the big challenge around all the development that culminated in the removal of Buni is being able to separate opinion from fact. According to him, what is going on at the moment in the party is an internal contest bothering on trust.

He said, ” It is on record that we have postponed the convention three times. The first was December 21, then February 5 and up till the end of January, even the statutory mandatory notification was not served on INEC. Committees were not set up, the venue for the convention was not known et cetera. There was no indication that we are preparing for the convention. Then moved to March 6. Then the court injunctions and others stalled it.

And responding to one of the strong allegations that Buni was not willing to vacate the position, he said his action defied the idea that a governor having a more lucrative and tasking job in his State will not usurp the position. “All the postponements were done at his instance. Setting up unhealthy sub-committees and other structures to buy time.

On the report that arrangement is being made for a soft landing for Buni, he said ” His Excellency Mai Mala Buni has not been removed as being alledged as he is away and His Excellency Bello was brought in to hold the fort.”

On the confusion of whether the Secretary of the Committee Senator John Akpanudoedehe has resigned or still retaining his position, Lukman said, “The fact is that there was a meeting of the Caretaker Committee and he walked away. There are 13 members and like in any meeting opinion will differ. There is strong contention going on in the party. My take is that this contest has to be taken to the floor of the convention.