APC Primary Crisis: Buhari Directs Aggrieved Members to Seek Redress in Courts

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, November 27th, 2018

By Niyi Adeyi

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – President Muhammadu Buhari has directed all aggrieved members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to approach the courts to seek a redress.

Buhari’s declaration which was a reaction to the position of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) which recently forbade members from dragging the party to court was contained in a statement issued Monday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adeshina.

The President stressed that if anyone was displeased with the way and manner anything has been done, and ‘’feels deprived of his/her rights, then such a person is at liberty to approach the courts for redress’’.

“We can’t deliberately deny people of their rights. We agreed that party primaries should be conducted either through direct, indirect or consensus methods, and if anyone feels unjustly treated in the process, such a person can go to court. The court should always be the last resort for the dissatisfied. For the party to outlaw the court process is not acceptable to me’’ the President said.

Specifically, APC NWC had last week threatened to punish members across the country who had dragged the party to court over various issues.

“The Party intends to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members as their action is capable of undermining the Party and hurt the Party’s interest.

“We hereby strongly advise such members to withdraw all court cases, while approaching the appropriate party organs with a view to resolving any outstanding disputes. In addition to this, aggrieved members are urged to take full advantage of the reconciliation committees the Party has put in place.

“APC members should understand that as a progressive party that operates on the principle of change, it is not a matter of choice to keep to the rules’’ Adeshina quoted the statement.

In a related development, President Buhari has also advised members to work with the reconciliation committees empaneled for the six geo-political zones by the APC, and not a purported Presidential Committee on Reconciliation, stressing that the party is the only body authorized to constitute such committees.