The APC Youth Development and Solidarity Network said the latest plot by the cabal is to secure a court judgement “through the back door that would sack the party's leadership from office.”
Some selfish cabal members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have finalised plans to influence a court injunction against the Chairman and members of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee with billions of naira, a youth group in the party has said.
The group said the new plans followed SaharaReporters’ story exposing how the cabal shopped for ‘compromised judges’ to vacate a court order stopping its elective national convention that it had scheduled for March 26, 2022.
Having failed on the plan over the story, the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Network said the latest plot by the cabal is to secure a court judgement “through the back door that would sack the party's leadership from office.”
Hon. Tobias Ogbeh, the APC youth group’s secretary-general said the ultimate is to cause an embarrassment to President Muhammadu Buhari, who he alleged has rejected the leadership change and warned governors to stop backstabbing their colleagues.
According to Ogbeh, this latest scheme is heavily funded by a serving minister.
The group, therefore, called on relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to be on alert in this regard as the plot has reached an advanced stage.
Ogbeh also urged Nigerian judges to refuse to be used as pawns to truncate the democratic processes in Nigeria as ‘eagle eye like SaharaReporters are watching them.’
He said, “As we may be aware, some governors within the party have attempted to change the leadership of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under Governor Mai Mala Buni.
“As despicable as this might sound, there has been an attempt at effecting a change in the leadership of the party, not on the strength of the interest of the party, but in furtherance of a blind ambition towards taking over the party structure through the back door in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.
“We wish to state that we have it on good authority that since the humiliation suffered by the sponsors of the failed leadership change in the party, there have been concerted efforts to use the instrument of the court to achieve their objective of effecting a change in the leadership of the party.
“A plan to shop for compromised judges to vacate a court order stopping the party elective national convention that it had scheduled for March 26, 2022, was during the week exposed by a newspaper, SaharaReporters.
“Following this exposure by the medium, we wish to inform all APC stakeholders and Nigerians in general that the newest plot now is to secure a court judgement through the back door that would sack the party's leadership from office. The scheme is heavily funded by a presidential aspirant from the South-South who has earmarked close billions of naira to cause confusion in the party.
“We have credible information that the overarching plot is to cause an embarrassment to President Muhammadu Buhari, who from all indications was not in support of the leadership change and never gave his blessings as being speculated in the media by the brains behind the despicable plot.
“We wish to inform members of the public as well as the security agencies that particular billions of naira have been earmarked as payment for the lawyers that would initiate the process, as well as reaching out to the willing judge, who would, in turn, be rewarded with the billions naira.
“The plan is for the judge to give an injunction against the Chairman of the CECPC that would pave the way for a change in the party's leadership through the back door. Part of the plan is to secretly obtain this order without service on the parties in a way of the exparte motion.
“We want all judges to be careful as we all saw what happened to a particular judge exposed by SaharaReporters on Sunday. The said Judge is said to be a boy of the Governor of Rivers State, such shame awaits any judge who tries to destabilise the APC.
“It’s unacceptable for a serving minister to lead this plot against a party through which he actualised his ambition of being a minister for almost 8 years despite the odds against him.
“We wish to use this medium to also call all relevant security agencies and anti-corruption agencies to be on the watch out for this despicable plot to undermine democracy. The Nigerian Police, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Department of State Security should be on alert in this regard as the plot has reached an advanced stage.
“The general public is also encouraged to be on the watch as the manifestation of this plot would gather steam soonest. It is our considered opinion that this Minister and some governors are desperate to secure the court injunction to secure a change in the party's leadership. It remains embarrassing that these governors have elected to throw caution in the wind in pursuing an ambition built on deceit and the incurable quest for power at all cost and not minding whose ox is gored.
“They have carried on like demigods, not minding that they have performed woefully in their various states. To think that they want to impose this malaise on the party is most despicable and should be resisted by all well-meaning members of the APC and the country at large. The party's interest must come first, and we must come to terms with the stark reality before us to stand up for the truth in the perseverance of the life of the APC as a party of progressive-minded people.
“The general public must be aware of this despicable plot hence this press conference to raise public awareness of the plot to undermine the efforts made by the Mai Mala Buni leadership of the APC. We want to use this medium to sound a note of warning again to judges and justices in the legal profession to refuse to be used as pawns to truncate the democratic processes in Nigeria.
“The implication of allowing themselves to be used by some APC governors indeed portends grave danger for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. However, we are confident in the judiciary's integrity to stand for justice and equity.”