Last month, the Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State suspended the National Legal Adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, from the party, citing anti-party activities.
Banire’s crime, according to a reliable source, was that he spoke out against imposition of candidates for the just concluded Local Government elections in Lagos. The election, political analysts say exposed the level of imposition that has been going on within the APC for many years.
However, this has come to light due to the level of imposition. A chieftain of the APC who pleaded for anonymity said, “This particular imposition of candidates is unprecedented. It used to happen in the past but this one is the worst. It has always been an in-house thing. It never used to be a public issue but this has turned out to be a public issue due to the severity of the case. It got out of hand this time. I think due credit should be given to Muiz Banire for speaking truth to power.”
The suspension was recommended by his ward (Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin). According to the Acting Secretary of the Ward, Taofeek Ajani-Balogun, the decision to suspend Banire was reached during the ward meeting held to review the last Local Government elections. “After a critical assessment of individual activities and the performance of the party during the last elections, members of the party in Ward C, Ilasamaja, Mushin unanimously voted for the immediate suspension of Banire from participating in party activities in the Ward and his removal from office as National Legal Adviser,” he said.
Speaking further, Ajani-Balogun also admitted that Banire wasn’t the only one they discussed about suspending. They also resolved to suspend the Ward and Local Government Areas (LGA) Chairmen and Executives, due to the poor results recorded in the last elections and had forwarded the ward’s decision to the LGA for further deliberations and recommendations to the State Chapter.
He said: “after receiving the minutes of the Ward C meeting, concerned and committed members of our great party, APC in Mushin Local Government deliberated on the resolutions of the ward meeting and having carefully considered the decision of Ward C Exco, we decided to adopt the resolution for further necessary action at the State and National level.
“The Party EXco in Mushin Local Government further recommended to the State Chapter the expulsion of Mr. Muiz Banire from the party.”
In what looked like a battle of ego, two days later, APC at the national level nullified his suspension. The APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the local chapter of the party did not have such powers to suspend a national officer.
According Abdullahi, such powers resided with the National Working Committee (NWC).
Banire on the other hand, dismissed his suspension. The National Legal Adviser of the APC, is of the view that a local chapter of the APC cannot suspend a national officer.
He said, “I was told that a press release is circulating around from the State Government that I have been suspended. This is another orchestrated lie by the State.
“I am still the substantive legal adviser of the party above being suspended by any organ but the National leadership of the APC. People should ignore the mischief.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the APC has blasted the National Working Committee (NWC) for nullifying the suspension of Dr. Muiz Banire over anti-party activities by his ward in Mushin Local Government.
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A statement issued by the APC publicly Secretary in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, faulted the action of the NWC, saying it doesn’t augur well for democracy. “Is Bolaji not aware that he is not yet a substantive National Publicity Secretary until otherwise stated in a Congress? Does it not amount to brigandage and playing to the gallery by naming himself the National Publicity Secretary when the position is still enmeshed in controversy?
“Is Bolaji not learning one or two lessons from the former National Assistant Publicity Secretary, Timi Frank whose problem started from his local chapter? This emergency step into Banire’s matter cannot fly,” Igbokwe said.
He further stated that, “Let it be made known that the National Executive Committee of our great Party acted in a haste to try to rescue the sagging and battered image of Muiz Banire who is having a running battle with his political base in Lagos. The Lagos Chapter of APC will support and encourage our patriotic and hardworking followers from Mushin LGA to exercise their fundamental human rights without let or hindrance,” Igbokwe said.
The Next Edition gathered that what is playing out in the APC is not unconnected with the power tussle between the professionals in politics and the core politicians within the APC in the South West.
The former Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, who is now Minister of Power, Works and Housing and his counterpart, former Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, who is now Minister of Solid Minerals have been allegedly working round the clock to cut Tinubu down to size in the South West.
The embattled National legal adviser of the APC is also part of the so-called professionals in politics. It was gathered from a reliable source that the trio who operate from Abuja wanted to have their way in the local government elections by fielding candidates of their choice so that they can have a say on who becomes the governor of Lagos State in 2019.
A staunch member of the APC in Lagos State, Mrs Folake Adebayo, in a chat with The Next Edition said, “They are trying to bite the fingers that fed them. They will all fail in their plot to undermine Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Banire and his cohorts had their candidates who all failed in the primaries. That is why they are crying foul. They are only using Banire because they can speak publicly on this matter.”
In a twist of events, the Deputy Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni has dragged Banire to court.
Mr. Eshilokun-Sann is asking the court to declare Mr. Banire as unfit to keep occupying the office of the party’s National Legal Adviser as a result of a series of anti-party activities and breach of several provisions of the APC Constitution.
Okunade Sijuade Adekunle, a prominent political analyst in Lagos waved it aside as “a storm in a teacup” saying there is no crises as some people are trying to make it seem.
Speaking with The Next Edition in a telephone chat, he said, “There is no crisis. The people have spoken. They have made their choice. Majority carries the vote. They at the national level are only trying to flex their muscles. We all know that the party at the ward level has the constitutional right to suspend Banire. This is a simple matter, which some mischief makers< are trying to complicate. When you want to join a political party, you register at the ward level not national level.”
“Irrespective of whether Banire remains in that position or not, he has become irrelevant as far as the APC in Lagos is concerned,” he said.