Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed that it will commence activities for the replacement of the party’s National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni, Yobe State Governor-elect, immediately after the May 29, 2019, inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following the emergence of Buni after the March 9, 2019 governorship election, the seat of National Secretary of the ruling APC had become vacant.
Reacting to the development, a National Working Committee (NWC) member, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the national leadership was, however, waiting for the party members from the North East geopolitical zone to commence the activities, explaining that it was their responsibility to initiate the process.
According to the NWC member, “the secretary was given a waiver to contest for the governorship election. The process of his replacement had started since he emerged winner, but due to the zoning arrangement, since every NWC member comes from a zone, the replacement must equally come from the same zone.
“When we recently changed the National Publicity Secretary, the replacement came from the North Central. As it is now, it is the North East party members that will decide which state in the zone that will produce the next National Secretary. They will determine whether Yobe State will still retain the position or whether it will go to another state in the zone.
“What is slowing down the process is the forthcoming inauguration on May 29. Once the activity is over, don’t be surprised the issue of the replacement of the National Secretary will be done with expedition.
“However, I must reiterate that the activity must commence from the North East, the zone statutorily stipulated to produce the chief scribe of the party. How the members of the party in the zone will go about managing their local arrangement over who emerges finally; it is something I cannot say,” the NWC member said.