By Sani Gazas Chinade, Damaturu
HOTPEN – Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, Director General Press and Media Affairs in a statement said that for those familiar with Buni’s political antecedents, “they never lost sleep to political calculations and the Chess game-like moves of Mai Mala Buni, Yobe state Governor, and Chairman Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Buni is always calm, calculating, patient, decisive and unperturbed. He takes decisions and strikes at the right time to succeed.
“By History, Buni was a local government councilor, and at different times state Chairman of different political parties, a Special Adviser on Political Affairs to a governor, a two time National Secretary of the ruling party and currently, Chairman Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of APC. He is the serving Governor of Yobe state. He has had a taste of gruel prepared by both the opposition and the ruling parties. He, therefore, has the experience and expertise. And as the Englishman would say, “He knows where the corpse is.”
“It is therefore not a mere coincidence when his colleagues, members of the National Executive Committee of the APC in June 2020 unanimously nominated him as the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee to salvage the party from an imminent collapse”.
“Governor Buni came with the philosophy of “True and Genuine Reconciliation’ of aggrieved stakeholders to reposition, revalidate and recover the party. He was meticulous in making the first move and got it right by visiting the Ila-Orangun country home of Chief Bisi Akande, a very strong founding member of the party. His visit to the Bourdilion home of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu in Lagos was the icing on the cake. This earned the Caretaker committee wide acceptance and respect”.
“Chief Akande said he was optimistic that the Buni Committee would succeed “from what l am seeing of the Mai Mala Buni, the Chairman of the Committee, there is great hope in the future of the party”.
“Buni’s wisdom in forming several committees justifies his assertion that he is a team player. This gave stakeholders of the party a true sense of belonging and participation as well as ownership of the party and soon, there was a resurrection in the party”.
“Political analysts opined that the sudden change in the style of leadership and administration of the party also gave critical stakeholders and party members a new sense of hope in the future of the party and their individual political aspirations. This attracted those who left and those planning to leave to cling onto the party and soon, the rejuvenation started yielding results”.
According to him “Governor Buni’s humble approach to wide-scale consultations and lending listening ears to everyone, came with the power of a magnet, attracting high profile politicians into the party. He made history by attracting three serving governors into the APC. First, it was the Ebonyi state Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, then followed by Prof. Ben Ayade the Cross River State Governor and Bello Mutawalli of Zamfara state. This record is unprecedented in the political history of Nigeria”.
“The party under the leadership of Governor Buni executed successful membership registration and revalidation exercise, a feat that was tried by the PDP as a ruling party in 2004 but was inconclusive. The exercise registered more than 41 million members which are capable of winning any election with huge victory”.
“The mobilization of youth and women by the Buni committee is undoubtedly another political rebirth in Nigeria.Two separate conferences were organized for youth and women which has reinvigorated their zeal, commitment, and love to serve the party with full strength. Declaring the Progressives Youth Conference in Abuja, Governor Buni said “I am pleased that we have collectively rescued a factionalized party that was heading towards imminent collapse and disintegration, to a very strong, solid, reliable and ever-growing political party”.