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”.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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