Politics
APC Crisis: Buni, Marafa Trade Words
The political spat between the National Chairman, Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State and one of the party’s chieftains and former Senator representing Zamfara Central, Senator Kabiru Marafa, got messier on Monday as both men continued to issue threats through their proxies.
The party on its part has threatened to wield the big stick on Senator Marafa over his verbal attacks on Governor Buni.
The threats came 24 hours after Senator Marafa declared the CECPC an illegal contraption and vowed to ensure its dissolution through the Judiciary.
However, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by the National Secretary of the CECPC, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, the party warned Senator Marafa against insubordination.
Marafa in his own statement asked the CECPC to stop grandstanding and address all issues he raised at last Sunday’s news conference.
Spokesman of the Marafa faction of the APC, Hon. Bello Bakyasuwa Maradun in a statement said “in his courageous and issues-driven politics, Senator Kabiru Marafa raised pertinent points that undermined the legality of the APC National leadership under Mai-Mala Buni while equally providing the rationale for his APC-led faction to conduct a parallel congress”.
According to him, “it is interesting that the issues raised by Senator Marafa did not sit well with the so-called caretaker leadership of APC under Mai-Mala Buni through a statement attributed to one Mamman Mohammed who called himself DG, Press and Media Affairs to Governor Mai-Mala Buni.
“We want to thank the DG for acknowledging the fact that Sen Marafa is a responsible politician. But instead of addressing the issues raised by Senator Marafa against his boss, Mr. Mamman went bluffing and describing the actions of the highly respected Senator as “political suicide” and advising on the obvious stance of going to court which Senator Marafa unequivocally stated in all his statements.
“In responding to his statement, we consider it imperative for Mai-Mala and his co-travellers on the road to perdition to what the famous boxing champion, Mohammed Ali said, Bragging is when a man says what he can’t do. I do what I say.
“We cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by the outburst of Mr Mai-Mala’s spokesman and lose sight of the real issues raised by Distinguished Senator Marafa.
“For the records, Senator Marafa took Mai-Mala Buni upon the stupendous and scandalous amount of money and assets he declared in his Code of Conduct form as published by Sahara Reporters which are not justifiable in the context of his family and or business antecedents.
“Senator Marafa also related the misguided actions of Mai-Mala Buni as products of his lack of formal education, his history of never attending a school and challenged him (Mai Mala) to mention the legitimate schools he (Mai Mala) ever attended.
“Senator Marafa also recalled how he and Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i were instrumental to Mai-Mala’s emergence as APC National Secretary and went further to mention names of some eminent personalities that are all alive as witnesses to his claim, such as the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Senate President Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Lawal, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, Sen Ali Modu Sherif and so on, on these grounds. Senator Marafa questioned the moral disposition of Mr Mai-Mala Buni’s arrogant and undemocratic ways of doing things in APC generally and Zamfara in particular as if he has a pedigree beyond being a councillor, PA to the governor then party National Secretary before becoming a governor.
“One would have thought Mamman would debunk these claims or get across to one or all the eminent personalities mentioned by Sen Marafa to debunk the claim”.
Buni in the statement signed by Sen. Akpanudoedehe warned Sen. Marafa not to reduce party issues to a personality contest.
“The Party urges Sen. Marafa and his cohorts not to reduce the political issues to a contest of personalities but submit to party supremacy and internal dispute resolution structures adequately provided for by the APC Constitution. Anything outside this amounts to insubordination and indiscipline and the APC constitution is very clear on this”, Akpanudoedehe stated.
On allegations that it bent the rules in the conduct of the hitherto suspended Congresses in Zamfara State, the CECPC said; “Our attention has been drawn to uninformed and misguided comments by Senator Kabiru Marafa regarding the All Progressives Congress (APC) Ward Congresses held in Zamfara State on Saturday 13th, November 2021.
“While the APC will not join issues with Senator Marafa who is supposed to be one of the party leaders in Zamfara State but chooses to denigrate the party and its leaders, it is important to set the records straight.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC received intelligence reports bordering on the security of the Zamfara State APC Ward Congress Committee, hence the need to temporarily suspend their activities. That necessitated the letter of 5th November 2021 to the Chairman of the Committee, Alh. Ibrahim Kabir Masari, only.
“After, evaluation and consultations, the Committee, in a letter dated 10th November 2021 was okayed to proceed with the conduct of the Zamfara State Ward Congresses on Saturday 13th, November 2021, which Sen. Marafa participated. This had nothing to do with the 21 days notice for the conduct of Wards, Local Government Areas and State Congresses in Zamfara State earlier sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which subsists.
“The letter to Alh. Ibrahim Kabir Masari which Sen. Marafa is brandishing is an internal administrative correspondence and was not copied to INEC nor any other agency or person(s) as the case may be.
“This clarification is necessary to guide Sen. Marafa and his cohorts who seem bent on misleading our teeming party members in Zamfara State”.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.
