However, in a swift reaction to Keyamo’s submission, the APC counsel, Niyi Akintola SAN came up with a counter argument to douse the tension and said there is no cause for alarm, describing other contrary views as backdrops of personal opinions being expressed by some individuals on the status of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and its capacity to conduct the Congresses, affirming that CECPC is on firm ground.
“Therefore, it is shocking that the interpretation of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution, in light of the above-quoted decision of the Supreme Court, could be stretched in some quarters to state that chairmanship of an ad-hoc committee duly constituted by the National Executive Committee of a registered political party could constitute paid employment or an executive position as envisaged under Section 183 of the Constitution,” Malami...
Senator Abe, who is also a Lawyer and a key chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC insisted that most members of the APC accepted the reality of the CECPC as a decision of the National Executive Committee of the APC with Mr President as leader of the party in attendance. Almost every convention committee or caretaker committee of every political party in this country that is privileged to have a governor in its fold has been chaired by a Governor, almost every primary that produced our governorship candidates has been chaired by a governor.
Magnus added that any member of the party who is emboldened by Barrister Keyamo’s interpretation of Jegede Vs Akeredolu to challenge the legality of the caretaker arrangement of APC on that basis may do so, but the litigant will of course bear the burden of proof, and the party should be ready to defend its own position based on the evidence.
The APC CECPC was inaugurated in June 2020 with Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni as the chairman.