The governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, on Monday, reacted to the report of his appointment as the “sole administrator” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after the alleged dismissal of Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni.
Some sections of the media had earlier reported that Mr Buni, who was appointed as the Chairman of the 12-member Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) in June 2020, had been removed and Mr Bello appointed in his place.
Against the report of takeover, Mr Bello, who is a also member of the CECPC, told journalists that he was at the APC National Headquarters to administer oath of office to the elected state chairmen of the party.
Mr Buni-led interim national leadership of the party presented certificates of return to the chairmen-elect of the party in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in February without administering oath on them.
Mr Bello , on Monday, behind closed doors, administered the oath office on the state chairmen in attendance after a meeting with members of the interim committee.
“The states chairmen took their oath of Office today and we discussed progress made so far on Convention and what needs to be done next so that we will achieve the March 26 date for Convention,” he said after the event.
The Niger goovernor said he had been acting as the chairman of the party since Mr Buni left the country to seek medical attention.
“I have been acting for a while since the chairman traveled,” he told journalists before leaving the National Secretariat.
Mr Bello’s arrival at the party headquarters generated speculations of possible takeover of the Yobe Governor’s role in the party.
The governor is a member of the caretaker committee constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 25, 2020.
