The Governor of the State of Niger, Abubakar Belloon Monday, he reacted to the report of his appointment as “sole administrator” of the sentence All Progressives Congress (APC) after the supposed impeachment of the governor of the state of Yobe, Mala Buni.
Some sections of the media previously reported that Mr. Buni, who was appointed as chairman of the 12-member Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) in June 2020, had been removed and Mr. Bello appointed in his place.
Contrary to the inauguration report, Mr. Bello, who is also a member of the CECPC, told reporters that he was at the APC national headquarters to swear in the party’s elected state presidents.
The party’s interim national leadership led by Buni presented return certificates to the party’s elected presidents in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in February without taking an oath on them.
Bello, on Monday, behind closed doors, administered the swearing-in office of the state presidents present after a meeting with members of the interim committee.
“The presidents of the states were sworn in today and we discussed the progress made so far in the Convention and what needs to be done next to achieve the March 26 date for the Convention,” he said after the event.
Niger’s governor said he had been acting as party chairman since Buni left the country to seek medical care.
“I have been acting for a long time since the president traveled,” he told reporters before leaving the National Secretariat.
Mr. Bello’s arrival at the party’s headquarters sparked speculation about a possible inauguration of the governor of Yobe in the party.
The governor is a member of the interim committee constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 25, 2020.
Photo Caption: Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello addresses journalists after chairing the CECPC meeting and administering the oath of office to controversially elected APC state presidents. Photo Credit: PREMIUM TIMES/Samson Adenekan