Daily Independent Online.
*
Tuesday, August 24, 2004.
Plot
to expel Etiebet from ANPP thickens
•
Party scribe el-Matazu under probe
By Felix Ofou
Group Politics
Editor
A plot to edge out
former military ruler and Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples
Party (ANPP), Muhammadu Buhari, from the party may have backfired following the
reported rallying of forces to remove the National Chairman, Don Etiebet.
The clarion call
became necessary after it became apparent that the pro-Etiebet group had
resolved to expel Buhari, or in the interim reduce his influence, to allow the
new thinking in the party that it should work more closely with President
Olusegun Obasanjo of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Indications that the
pro-Etiebet camp was resolved on moving against Buhari became glaring after
ANPP National Secretary Sani el-Matazu was suspended for alleged anti-party
activities and a panel set up to probe the claim. Deputy National Secretary
Francis Egu was asked to act in his place.
El-Matazu was accused
of leaking false information to the press to the effect that Etiebet was given
N300 million by the President to give to the ANPP, with the aim of compromising
the party.
Matters reportedly
came to a head after the Deputy Minority leader of the House of
Representatives, Emmanuel Arigbe-Osula, was removed for opposing the state of
emergency in Plateau State, contrary to the wish of Etiebet who was at the National
Assembly to mobilise support for it.
After the suspension
of el-Matazu, pro-Buhari forces were said to have reached out to those
sympathetic to their cause in a bid to counter the plot to expel Buhari as well
as turning the tide against the Etiebet camp.
Among the options
being considered by the Buhari camp is the removal of Etiebet. Shopping for a
likely successor is near the top of the list of priorities.
Buhari’s
loyalists are said to have concluded plans to remove Etiebet at the
party’s convention scheduled for December 11, even as the convention is meant to be non-elective.
The reason canvassed
by the anti-Etiebet group is that the national chairman can no longer be
trusted to lead the main opposition party as he is allegedly becoming
“uncomfortably close to the establishment”.
Although Etiebet had
given reasons why he supported the declaration of a state of emergency in
Plateau State, those against him are now using that to point to his reported
support for establishment thinking and actions.
Etiebet has also been
accused of not giving the required support to Buhari’s quest to pursue
the case against Obasanjo to a logical conclusion.
Perhaps, it was
against this backdrop that Buhari decided to reassure his supporters that he is
still in the ANPP, contrary to speculations that he had pulled out or that he
is not interested in going ahead with his court action.
Buhari, represented by
Muktar Muhammed, told hordes of supporters in Kano that the litigation is still
intact and that he is sure the Supreme Court would grant him the reliefs
sought.
Confirming the
development, a top member of the Buhari camp said the counter move became
unavoidable because of the obvious attempt to humiliate the retired general.
“You just watch
out for the great surprise. We have already concluded the plan. Very soon we
shall begin to unveil our plans and there is nothing that can stop us”,
he boasted.
Meanwhile, the panel
set up to try el-Matazu has reportedly begun sitting. It will determine whether
he did pass information to the press that Etiebet collected the N300 million.
And it is expected to
confirm whether he granted an interview where he was quoted to have said that
Etiebet could not be trusted.
