Thirteen governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are set on a collision course with their remaining counterparts in the party as they insist that Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, must retain his position as chairman of the party's Caretaker Extraordinary ConÂvention Planning Committee (CECPC).
The governors also threatÂened to abandon the broom party if the decision taken at the National Executive Council (NEC) of APC in 2020 that Buni should head the party until the national convention is held, is not respected by President MuÂhammadu Buhari and other members of the Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF).
Internal wrangling in the party reached a boiling point on Monday with a faction of APC governors claiming that PresiÂdent Buhari has named Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, as Buni's replacement to head the CECPC.
Daily Independent gathered that the 13 governors, who met in Abuja on Monday night, conÂtemplated leaving the APC for another political party as their future would be uncertain in their current party if what they described as "the ongoing illeÂgality" is allowed to stand.
Another option on the taÂble, which is being seriously weighed by the governors is teaming up with the opposiÂtion Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as three of them defected to the APC from PDP.
The governors are reportÂedly upset with the way their colleagues in the "cabal" are belittling them in the deciÂsion-making process of the party having first lost out on the fixing of a date for the parÂty's national convention and are now facing further humiliation with the attempted imposition of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State, as the CEÂCPC chairman.
One of the governors from the North-East geopolitical zone protested that "the cabal formed by our other colleagues has sufÂfocated the life out of APC. The party has been reduced to the equivalent of a drug-dealing gang where decisions are now based on who can manipulate President (Muhammadu) BuÂhari better.
"Even if APC governors were constituted into a kind of electoral college to make deciÂsions for the party, which is not the case, there is no way seven is greater than thirteen. When you have only seven governors forcing their decision on thirÂteen governors of equal jurisÂdiction then you know there is a problem.
"So, what we are saying is that we are ready for them. We are not saying that Mai Mala Buni should not stop being the chairman of CECPC, but our point is that there must be due process. There is a proper way to go about it, not some characÂter sneaking to the president to snitch in the dark of the night and then come out throwing the president's name around.
"If they want us to fall out with them as fellow APC govÂernors then we are ready. But this thing about being dictatoÂrial must stop. It is a democraÂcy, and the APC must run as a democracy. Or else there is no example we are showing anyÂbody as leaders", the aggrieved governor who spoke anonyÂmously said.
Meanwhile, the 13 goverÂnors had their various AttorÂneys-General write legal opinÂions on the illegality of what happened at the party's secreÂtariat on Monday.
Governor Bello has mainÂtained that he was only acting as chairman, since Buni was yet to return from his Dubai medical leave.
But with the inauguration of state chapters' chairmen and reception of zoning committee report by Bello on Monday, punÂdits pointed to the fact that he was playing a script written by the seven governors, on behalf of Buhari.
As at night time of filing this report, the presidency was yet to make any official statement on the status of Governor Bello and the fate of Buni.
