Buhari’s Candidacy Challenged in Court

Posted by admin Muhammadu Buhari (1983-85, 2015 - 2023), National Politics, Presidency Thursday, January 6th, 2011

The euphoria of the successful conclusion of the national convention of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has hardly died down when the former publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Dennis Aghanya, went to court seeking to annul the process leading to the election of new national officers of the party.

After two days of a long-winding party convention, the CPC finally elected new executives of the party with the emergence of former information minister prince Tony Momoh as the chairman.
In what looked like a major twist, former Publicity Secretary of CPC yesterday took the party to court challenging the legality of the existence of the Board of Trustees of the party, its actions and decisions.

Among the reliefs being sought by the complainant is declaration that all the primaries conducted so far, including the one that produced Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate, are null and void.

Aghanya, in a case instituted at Court 3 of the Federal High Court in Abuja, cited pages 42 and 43 of article 12 of the constitution of the CPC, concerning the appointment of the members of the Board of Trustees of the party, which states that there shall be at least one Trustee from each of the six Geopolitical Zones of the country who shall be registered members of the party and in whom powers to formulate party policies and programmes shall be vested.

The same section of the constitution said the trustees shall be nominated by the National Exco for appointment and confirmation by the National Convention of the party.

Aghanya in a statement made available to THISDAY said the suit is aimed at restraining the current membership of the BOT from parading themselves in that position, setting aside every decision or actions taking by the BOT so far which include setting aside his exclusion and that of others from the convention.

He is also seeking a declaration that the entire convention which took place on the 4th of January, 2011 be nullified and that the zoning formula used for the national convention is illegal.
“My action will go a long way to curtail the excesses of a group of a wasted generation (old men and a woman) within the party who have constituted themselves into a cabal and have derailed the party from its original goal. They are holding our leader hostage and somebody has to bail the cat,” he said.

Voting at the CPC convention which was concluded at the early hours of yesterday also saw to the emergence of new national officers of the party who were elected under the zoning formula as approved by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

Momoh, a veteran journalist and a former Minister of Information, said in his acceptance speech that he would work hard to reposition the party to become a formidable platform ready to take over the rulership of the country.

He enjoined party members and all Nigerians to support the party in its effort to enthrone better leadership for the country

-ThisDaywp_posts