Anxiety, confusion trail APC Caretaker Committee’s tenure

In the early hours of Wednesday, the national secretariat of the ruling party was already turbocharged with countless fleets of cars arriving for the emergency meeting of the Caretaker Committee billed to apparently brainstorm on how to approach their tenure which ends on Friday this week.

Although newsmen waited patiently for the outcome of their meeting, which has the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Mohammed Bello of Niger and their Jigawa counterpart, Mohammed Badaru among other members of the national leaderships, the participants had left the secretariat and allegedly headed straight to the State House.

The desperate attempt to resolve the tenure of the Committee, whose legal standing has come under serious scrutiny, is not unconnected with the serious threat it posed on the forthcoming Anambra State governorship party primaries billed for this weekend, Saturday.

Regrettably, the national leadership of the party is yet to set up Primary Election Committee three days to date of the poll or the Appeal Committee to handle issues that may arise from the primaries because of fears in many quarters that the Caretaker Committee conducting the priamries will not stand legal scrutiny.

While commenting on the situation, a source close to the Committee told Daily Sun in Abuja that the Buni-led committee members are really fighting the battle of their lives to convince the presidency for a tenure extension before Friday to authentic the conduct of the Anambra primaries this weekend.

“The situation is tensed because the presidency has told the committee that there may not be any other tenure elongation again. The directive actually rattled them hence their frantically trying to convince the presidency on the implications of not extending their future.

“You can see that the emergency meeting on Wednesday did not last long before their rushing to the State House for a meeting with Mr President.

“Truth be told, there is uncertainty over the tenure of the Caretaker Committee. As it is they can no longer prosecute the activities for the Anambra election especially the forthcoming primaries this weekend because of the fear that they may be a replay of what happened in Zamfara and other states where APC was denied the opportunity of fielding candidates in the 2019 general elections,” the source said.

Recalled that the APC National Executive Council (NEC) had on Thursday, June 25, 2020, during its virtual meeting held at the State House Abuja, dissolved the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) and appointed a 13-member Caretaker Committee headed by the Yobe State Govenor, Mai Buni to pilot the affairs of the party for a period of six months.

The six months initial tenure of the Caretaker Committee was however extended by another six months in December last year.

Meanwhile, the ruling party has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the establishment of five new specialized Universities in technology, health  and pharmaceutical sciences in the country.

The party, in a statement signed by the National Secretary, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe noted: “It is a demonstration of the responsiveness of the government to the call by the APC Caretaker Committee and citizens for more federal tertiary institutions in the country.

“Commendably, President Buhari is fulfilling the APC’s electoral promise to lead an education revolution and transform the country technologically as captured in the 2015 APC manifesto and outlined in the Education for Change Ministerial Strategic Plan 2018-2022.

“Triggered by eventualities of the COVID-19 global pandemic and the need to reduce medical tourism, this is also a proactive intervention by the President Buhari-led APC government to boost the country’s institutional capacity for disease control and surveillance, particularly with respect to medical facilities, trained personnel and supporting infrastructure.

“The APC also commends the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu for swiftly implementing the decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to establish the Universities which will stimulate rapid technological development and innovation.

“The establishment of the Universities, each of which also got a take-off grant of N4 billion, is aimed at closing observed manpower gaps in critical scientific and health services fields and technology.

“The establishment of a University of Technology each in Jigawa state (North-West) and Akwa Ibom State (South-South) by the administration has closed a huge gap in terms of providing such tertiary institutions, especially in the case of Akwa Ibom state where the people have for years implored the federal government to establish such institution in the South-South geo-political zone.

“It is equally significant that President Buhari has approved the upgrading and equipping of existing Universities of Technology in Yola (North East), Akure (South West), Minna (North central) and Owerri (South East).

“The spread in the location of the Universities is a true reflection of the federal character of Nigeria as every geo-political zone now has a University of Technology. The APC is glad that as usual with locating projects, recruitment and political appointments by the President Buhari-led administration; no part of the country is left behind.

“The equitable distribution and inclusiveness in the allocation of resources by the administration is in line with the 1999 Constitution as amended and the manifesto of the APC which promises to foster a sense of belonging to all segments of the country.

“The establishment of National Institute of Technology (NIT) in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and two specialized universities of Health, Nutrition and Medical Sciences in Azare in Bauchi state and Orangun in Osun State, will nurture talents, boost the pool of specialists and spur more research in the fields for the benefit of all Nigerians,” the statement read.