Less than a day after President Muhammadu Buhari warned that internal wrangling cost the ruling All Progressives Congress victory next year, some members have sued the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The members are seeking an order of the Court to restrain the Buni-led CECPC from continuing with plans for the convention.
Those who sued Buni and his team in the suit with January 4, 2022, as date are Suleiman Dimas Usman, Muhammed Shehu, Samaila Isahaka, Idris Isah, and Audu Emmanuel.
The listed as defendants in the suit as APC, Chairman of APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission were listed, according to the Court processes obtained by journalists in Abuja on Friday.
They prayed the Court for an order to stop the convention on the ground that state congresses were yet to be completed in all the 36 states of the federation.
Their lawyer is Olusola Ojo, while the suit number is FHC/ABJ/CS/3/2022.
The convention, which has been postponed several times, is scheduled to hold on February 22, but there are pressures to scuttle it.
In an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority on Thursday, President Buhari warned that the APC risks losing the presidential election next year, if the intra-party crisis lingers.
“We have a timeframe we have to work because the four-year tenure is constitutional. It cannot be interfered with by anybody. So, if the APC can’t agree, then, the opposition will naturally take over. What did the PDP do? They said the opposition could not come together, but when ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA came together before PDP realised it, they were off. They are still off. They can see it,” Buahri warned.
The plaintiffs are also asking the Court to restrain the 1st and 2nd defendants from organizing and conducting the national convention of the 1st defendant unless state congresses of the 1st defendant were first concluded in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
In addition, they are asking for an order of the Court directing the 1st and 2nd defendants to first conduct state congresses of the 1st defendant in Anambra state and Zamfara state before the national convention of the 1st defendant can be scheduled and conducted.
They also want “An order of this Honourable Court restraining the 3rd defendant from giving approval effect to any action of the 1st and 2nd defendant to organize and conduct national convention of the 1st defendant unless state congresses of the 1st defendant are first conducted/concluded in ALL the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.”