Hon Zhatau Advocates For Direct Primaries In Nigeria, Assure Of Better Leadership In APC

Yakubu Busari

The Plateau State Factional Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon Nanman Maimagani  Zhatau has advocated for direct primaries in Nigeria challenging governors of trying to truncate the system which is the best option to improve tenets of democracy.

 

Zhatau disclosed that the crisis inflicted in APC was the result of bad governance which was a matter of constitutional issue as we anchored courage to deliver the people from the shackles of imposition and impunity.

 

 

Hon Zhatau stated this in a statement made available in this medium in Jos on Monday. He cautioned the action of Kogi state governor Hon . Yahaya Bello is afraid of the direct primaries know that he is a beneficiary of the system which produced him as the Governor.

 

 

 

He said security operatives were strategically positioned along with entry points into the Blantyre Street location of “Buhari House”, the party’s national secretariat.

 

Zhatau described it as unfortunate, but some said that the security presence was routine, they, however, conceded that it was based on ‘intelligence reports’, adding that the move was to forestall a possible attack or breakdown of law and order within the axis.

 

 

He condemned that the recent state congress conducted in Plateau state was a charade by calling on Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, to dissolve them not to aggravate the problems to the party.

 

 

We are not ready to waste our precious time to begin to join issues with individuals or drag the party into gutters, but to seek the constitutional interpretation of the law.

 

 

“We have a duty to protect our party from anarchy. I am sure you are the challenges facing APC is not only in Plateau state along see what is going on security agency overrun the national secretariat”.

 

He urged Governor Simon Lalong to respect the rule of law, asking the Hon Rufus Bature to stop deluding himself as the State chairman of the APC.

 

 

Hon Innocent Zhatau dismissed threats by the wards to expel him for expressing his political prowess by forming a new secretariat said that is an empty threat.

 

 

He disclosed that the purported kangaroo election that produced the state exco is a gross violation of the party’s constitution in the conduct of party affairs.

 

“APC is a political party, not a committee. Committees are created to serve specific functions not to usurp the powers of the entire legal entity. The functions of the Mai Mala committee are planning a convention just as its name implies. Mai Mala is the chairman of the APC convention planning committee and not APC itself,” cautioned.

 

According to him, Section 12.3 of the APC constitution lists the party’s National Executive Committee NEC members “and it made the National Chairman of the party and not the chairman of any committee by whatever name as the chairman of the organ, while Section 12.3 (xxxi) lists the President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as members only, so the question is, who approved the constitution and subsequent extensions of tenure of office of the illegal and obnoxious CECPC?

 

“This is the situation we find ourselves. The Chairman of APC today is an overzealous chairman of the convention planning committee only and a sitting governor, “he noted.

 

 

Reacting to the threat, Zhatau said he cannot be silenced for whatever reasons rather salvage the state chapter,

 

“Expelling me from the party will only aggravate the problem. It will herald the beginning of agitation; rule of law must be respected that renders Buni’s committee null and void? Section 17 (4) of the constitution of our beloved party says ‘no officer in any organ of the party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently’. Article 20 states the only way the leadership of the party can evolve.

 

 

He reiterated that we institute legal actions to save the party from what he tagged, ‘’over ambitious of Rufus, if he refused to step down.

 

“We will show him the way out dishonorably. We will not allow the party, we contributed immensely to develop and not to destroy over-ambitious, self-centered, and enemies of the party, and the country.

 

“This is the party we laboured, toiled, and laid the foundation for its success. We will not allow those who have little or no stake in the party to destroy it or to please certain individuals and achieve their selfish interests,” he said.