Charles Enya Will Be Expelled For Filing 3rd Term Suit For Buhari – APC

Posted by: Folamidavid in News, Politics Nov 28, 2019

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the suit seeking an amendment of the constitution to allow President Muhammadu Buhari run for a third term in office.

Recall that Charles Enya, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi state, reportedly filed the suit (FHC/AI/CS/90/19) before a federal high court in Abakiliki, Ebonyi state capital weeks ago.

Reacting to this move, APC has now said it was a suit that was filed in bad taste and Charles will always be a busy body with ulterior motives.

National Publicity Secretary, APC, Lanre Issa-Onilu also threatened to sue Enya if he was indeed an APC member.

His words, “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has read in the media about a purported legal action taken by a self-proclaimed member of the Party, Charles Enya, seeking an amendment of the constitution to allow President Muhammadu Buhari run for a third term in office.

“The Party had initially chosen to ignore him, however, it has become important to send a clear message to him and such other agent provocateurs.

“At the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party, President Buhari didn’t mince words and he is not the type that talks tongue in cheek. He pointedly said he would abide by the constitution and uphold the oath of office he took, swearing by the holy book he believes in. This he said was besides his advanced age which made such an idea beyond his contemplation.

“We have tried to find out the status of this character claiming to be a member of our party. If he turns out to be our member, we would ensure the party organ that has the responsibility to act on this matter promptly commence the process of expelling him. We are a progressive party and we do not have space for anti-democratic forces and charlatans”.

Is this a good decision?

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is a political party in Nigeria, formed on 6 February 2013 in anticipation of the 2015 elections. APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election by almost 2.6 million votes. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat on 31 March. This was the first time in Nigeria’s political history that an opposition political party unseated a governing party in a general election and one in which power transferred peacefully from one political party to another. In addition, the APC won the majority of seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 2015 elections, though it fell shy of winning a super-majority to override the ability of the opposition People’s Democratic Party to block legislation.

Formed in February 2013, the party is the result of a merger of Nigeria’s three biggest opposition parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP – a faction of then ruling People’s Democratic Party. The resolution was signed by Tom Ikimi, who represented the ACN; Senator Annie Okonkwo on behalf of the APGA; Ibrahim Shekarau, the Chairman of ANPP’s Merger Committee; and Garba Shehu, the Chairman of CPC’s Merger Committee. Ironically, less than 2 years before the party’s historic victory in the 2015 elections, Messrs. Annie Okonkwo, Tom Ikimi and Ibrahim Shekarau resigned from the party and joined the PDP.

The APC is generally considered to be a centre-left political party that favors controlled market economic policies, and a strong and active role for government regulation. A substantial number of its political leaders are followers of or politicians who subscribe to the social democratic political philosophy of Obafemi Awolowo and the socialist and anti-class views of Aminu Kano. Moreover, the majority of the APC’s base of political support is in southwestern Nigeria and Northern Nigeria, which are dominated by the country’s largest ethnic groups, the Yoruba and the Hausa-Fulani, respectively.

The APC support state’s rights, advancing state police as part of its manifesto. Its social policy is a combination of social nationalism. Despite the parties’ domination by pro-devolution politicians like Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, the party’s presidential bearer and the CPC wing is less inclined to federalism.