Buhari Disagrees with APC Leadership, Says Aggrieved Members Can Seek Judicial Redress

Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has said members of the All Progressives Congress who are displeased with the way and manner anything has been done in the party could approach the court for redress.

The APC has been bedeviled by internal crisis over controversies that trailed the recently held party primaries.

Some aggrieved members had approached the court seeking to nullify the primaries in some states. But the party leadership recently warned members against dragging the party to court and even threatened to sanction such members.

APC had warned that: “The Party intends to activate constitutional provisions to penalise such members as their action is capable of undermining the Party and hurt the party’s interest.

“We hereby strongly advise such members to withdraw all court cases, while approaching the appropriate party organs with a view to resolving any outstanding disputes. In addition to this, aggrieved members are urged to take full advantage of the reconciliation committees the Party has put in place.”

Buhari, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, however disagreed with the party and insisted that aggrieved members could approach the court for redress.

President Buhari said: “We can’t deliberately deny people of their rights. We agreed that party primaries should be conducted either through direct, indirect or consensus methods, and if anyone feels unjustly treated in the process, such a person can go to court.

“The court should always be the last resort for the dissatisfied. For the party to outlaw the court process is not acceptable to me.”