By Eric Elezuo

The crises in the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) continue to gain momentum each passing day as the February 2023 presidential election draws closer, leading to Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to refer to some of his colleagues as ‘yahoo yahoo’ governors. This means that any of the following could be referred to:

1. Ondo state – Governor Rotimi Akeredolu 2. Ogun state – Governor Dapo Abiodun 3. Lagos state – Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu 4. Osun state – Governor Gboyega Oyetola 5. Ekiti state – Governor Kayode Fayemi 6. Ebonyi state – Governor Dave Umahi 7. Imo state – Governor Hope Uzodinma 8. Cross River state – Governor Ben Ayade 9. Jigawa state – Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar 10. Kebbi state – Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu 11. Kaduna state – Governor Nasir El-Rufai 12. Kano state – Governor Abdullahi Ganduje 13. Katsina state – Governor Aminu Bello Masari 14. Zamfara state – Governor Bello Matawalle 15. Borno state – Governor Babagana Zulum 16. Yobe state – Governor Mai Mala Buni 17. Gombe state – Governor Inuwa Yahaya 18. Niger state – Governor Abubakar Sani Bello 19. Plateau state – Governor Simon Lalong 20. Kwara state – Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq 21. Kogi state – Governor Yahaya Bello 22. Nasarawa state – Governor Abdullahi Sule.

In the last couple days, matters had arose as regards to leadership in the party, pitching a section of the party against the other with its 22 governors on the front burners. The governors had been the force behind the selection of a Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee chairman with the consensus that the present committee as constituted and led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, had lost credibility, and needed to be replaced. This is because the party’s convention, which was supposed to produce a new administration, has been postponed severally with the present March 26 still very unrealistic.

On Monday, March 7, 2022. many Nigerians woke to the news that Niger State governor, Sanni Bello, has emerged the new chairman of the APC, relegating incumbent leadership of Mai Buni to the background. The development brought untold joy to a section of the party while the other plotted counter attack.

Speaking on the merits behind the removal of the Buni led executive committee, the Governor of Ondo, Rotimi Akeredolu, who doubles as the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, said that some “Yahoo Yahoo governors” in the All Progressives Congress (APC) supported Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor, to circumvent the will of party members. This is one pronouncement that has set the Nigerian public thinking, wondering who the so called ‘yahoo yahoo’ are.

This was the second time in as many weeks that the APC family has used the derogative term against itself. Recall that the former director-general of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, had earlier said Buni was working with “Yahoo Yahoo” politicians to stop the party’s convention.

It will be noted that ‘yahoo yahoo’ is a Nigerianised term used to describe or allude to fraudulent activities. In simple terms, anyone described as ‘yahoo yahoo’ is known to be fraudulent or a fraud. As a result, Akeredolu’s allusion to the term in describing some governors under the ticket of the party means that some of the governors are fraudulent and cannot be trusted.

Buni was booted out of office as chairman of the national caretaker committee of the APC after his plan to scuttle the party’s convention fixed for March 26 came to light.

In a statement afterwards, Akeredolu said classified the APC governors under “true” and ‘yahoo yahoo’, saying that the true APC governors are determined to see the party “through these patchy parts at all cost”.

“Nevertheless, the courage and determination as well as shrewd sincerity of purpose demonstrated by most of the APC Governors remain a delight.

“Significantly, the swift response and prompt action taken by Mr President have, in no small means, salvaged our great party from internal scavengers. We indeed, survived a civilian coup largely inspired by mischief and incurable lust for power through artificial barricades.

 

“We, the governors are for the party except for the few ‘Yahoo, Yahoo’ governors (apologies to Salihu, former DG of the Progressive Governors’ Forum) who were hand in glove with Buni to circumvent the will of majority of our Party (APC) members.

 

“Progressive governors in the true name, mostly all of us, are determined to see our Party through these patchy parts at all cost.

“None of the scanty number has the guts to carry out their imaginary threats as reported in sponsored stories. We dare them to leave the party.

“Their short-lived antics in arm twisting Governor Buni and probably, some pocket filling elements within the corridors of power to supplant the President’s will through fake letters, endorsements as well as ‘Black Market’ injunction (procured since November, 2021) are despicable,” Akeredolu concluded

 

Supporting Akeredolu’s stance as regards alleged plot to circumvent the plans of the party, the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, disclosed while speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today that Buni was hiding a court document temporarily restraining the APC from holding its convention on March 26 until a substantive suit has been heard and determined by party leaders. He accused the governor of some misdemeanors as committee chairman.

“Buni has been removed. He will not return to the party as national chairman again. He can be back to his post as governor.

“The governors and President Buhari directed Buni to swear in state executives elected months ago but he never followed the order. The Governors’ Forum asked him to brief us, he didn’t. We didn’t know anything about the party. We agreed on zoning, he came out with rumour that the President had endorsed four people. We went back to the President but he said he had not done that.

“Mai Bala Buni hid vital information from us. An interim order refraining the party from conducting APC convention and nobody knew about it. It was like hiding a nuclear weapon from the party. So we had to move fast and remove Buni.

“Currently, 19 governors are with us out of 22. About 2 to 3 governors who were not with us were planting fake news here and there. They want to make sure we never had a convention so that APC will not have candidates like they did in Zamfara.

“We wouldn’t allow (it), all the governors had moved to Abuja to correct things. Sani Bello is our acting chairman and he had reduced the convention committee to a manageable size.”

In the same vein, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, urged INEC and all APC members to be vigilant ahead of the March 26 convention, noting that the APC’s ability to produce party leaders and credible candidates in the 2023 general elections is contingent on how it resolves its current leadership crisis.

In a statement he signed titled ‘APC and Surrogate politics of timid leaders,’ Lukman said since Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State began acting as Chairman on March 7, there had been deliberate attempts to question the legitimacy of decisions taken by the APC, saying that Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, were among the rebellious governors still supporting Buni against the interest of the APC.

 

He added that three other governors must also be made to account for their roles in undermining decisions to organise the APC national convention including other party leaders like Senator Orji Kalu who have actively supported Mai Mala Buni to undermine the decision to organise the national convention of the party.

But Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated his Ondo State counterpart for his choice of words.

He accused his Ondo State counterpart of employing unfriendly names to denigrate his fellow governors and members of the party.

“It is not right for us to wash our dirty linens in the media, especially at this critical time of the party’s transformation as we move towards a decisive period in 2023.

“I believe that each of us has been trying his best in his way to move the interest of our great party forward.

“His Excellency, Gov. Mai Mala Buni has no doubt, contributed immensely to the promotion of the party’s fortunes and indeed all other governors who disagreed with one another.

“However, we all disagree to agree. That is the beauty of democracy. There is no point in promoting disharmony among ourselves after disagreements are settled,” he said.

But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has put the plans of removing Buni in a clog, refusing to recognise the acting Chairman of the party, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State.

Bello had written a letter to INEC requesting that the commission attends the APC’s National Executive Council meeting scheduled for next Thursday where Buni and the APC Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, were expected to be removed.

The commission informed the CECPC that the letter of invitation was not signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the CECPC, Buni and Akpanudoedehe, respectively. Hence, the request could not be honoured.

Faulting the letter further, INEC reminded the signatories to the letter that of the provision in Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, “which requires ‘at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting convened for the purpose of merger and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any elective office.”

It, therefore, urged the APC to note the issues raised and ensure immediate compliance.

After receiving the letter, the APC said Buni remained the chairman of the caretaker committee, according to Spokesperson for the party, Ismaeel Ahmed. The INEC angle created more pariah leadership in the party.

“Since the inception of this CECPC on June 25, 2020, whenever the chairman is not around and Governor Sani Bello is around, he acts on behalf of the chairman. It has always been the case. This has never changed.

“And now we have a convention on March 26, the chairman wrote a letter and transmitted it for his leave to go for medical treatment. These are two emergencies. He has a medical emergency that cannot wait for (the) convention. We have a convention that cannot wait for him to be healthy.

“The Chairman left, transmitted a letter, Governor Sani Bello has been acting appropriately. What is the problem? Why is it difficult for people to simply understand that? So, Governor Bello is acting with the full authority of the caretaker committee and with the full authority of the stakeholders, and leaders of the party, and with the full consent and knowledge of Governor Buni.”

Ahmed’s assertion contradicted the claims by the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who, in a live television interview on Wednesday said Buni had been ousted as chairman based on an instruction from the Presiden Muhammadu Buhari. However the aggrieved governors are considering the options of legal fireworks to remove Buni.

The question remains; who are the ‘yahoo yahoo’ governors in the ruling APC?