By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Special Adviser to President Mohammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, at the weekend enjoined the party leaders to take immediate steps, with regards to the minority judgement of the Apex Court, to avoid a repetition of the party’s ugly experience in Bayelsa and Zamfara States.
Recall that due to unresolved party leadership issues at the State level, the APC had lost the governorship election in Zamfara State, just as avoidable negligence resulting in certificate of the APC candidate, cost the party its governorship seat in Bayelsa State.
While urging the party leadership to consider the overall interest of the party ahead of 2023, Enang, in a television programme monitored in Abuja, said internal examination of both the majority and minority decisions of the apex court, has become necessary if the party is to avoid a possible hollow victory in 2023 elections.
Enang cautioned the party to err on the side of caution and realize that it cannot arrogate itself an almighty status, he said belongs to the Court in the matters of the law.
According to him, a close look at both the majority and minority decisions clearly shows that the court has pulled the ear of the party, enough to help any discerning legal mind see the danger of allowing the CECPC to proceed with activities leading to future elections.
Senator Enang who aired his personal opinion on the issues declared that “As a lawyer and as a legislator who has been involved in most of the laws now subject to interpretation and litigation, I am making it (opinion) as a person who has an interest in the welfare of the party, to avoid the kind of situation of having a hollow victory or victory in subsequent elections which may be declared null and void.”
He observed with gratitude to the CECPC that the party has pulsed all activities leading to the Local government and State Congresses of the party, adding that the leaders of the party should empanel a body to study the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He said “I am Also using this opportunity to tell the Committee and all our party leaders not to fan ourselves or celebrate that we are relying on the majority judgement. Yes, the majority judgement is the judgement but, read the majority judgement so well. I have read it,I have it around me, I have also read minority judgement. There are also salient points.
“All they said in seven of them is that as of today, since Mai Mala Buni, the chairman of the Caretaker Committee who signed the papers, whose action is constitutionally entangled, him being a serving governor in a state, and that should they go on to declare that his actions one way or another are lawful or unlawful, it would be infringing on his right to a fair hearing because he is not joined as a party.
“The court also went ahead to say that although the named principal the —- –and then the consequences would be very hard.
“If that is so, let us retreat, come into the house as a party, look at, if the chances are fifty-fifty, let us take the part of caution and then advise ourselves on what to do”.
He urged the party to quickly do three things to avoid the descent to the part that led to the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to retain power six years ago.
According to him, the measures which APC should adopt are: Set up a body to study what happened to PDP in 2013/2014 and draw necessary lessons, set up a scrutiny team to find how APC lost Zamfara, Bayelsa, the situation in Rivers and the Edo States and learn necessary lessons.
“The last aspect of my appeal is, I am not here to criticize and give bullet to the opposition, I am here to work on how the party can come together and solve the problems.
“Let us look at all the issues the majority of the Justices said, the minority of the Justices said, what said other cases that did not even concern us. What they said in the Imo State case which we became the beneficiary, and look at them and ask ourselves, can we go on like this?
“We will definitely advise ourselves that we cannot go on like this because if we go on like this, we are likely to suffer a basket of trauma . A basket of trauma is indeed a basket of trauma, may God not allow”, he said.
