No agreement between Buhari, Tinubu over 2023 Presidency, Obono-Obla dismisses Senator Hanga’s claims

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, has dismissed claims by former Interim National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, that an implied agreement existed during APC merger between President Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the latter will be handed over to as President of Nigeria in 2023.

Obono-Obla said there was no known such agreement as far as the structure was concerned, whether of the Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee or the CPC Merger Committee that negotiated with the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and factions of All Progressive Alliance (APGA) and DPP for the formation of APC in 2013.

He added that Hanga, who ceased to be member of CPC since 2011 and was in no way connected with any of the merger parties in 2013, could not be correct to lay such claims of implied agreement.

Senator Rufai Hanga had said in an interview published in Sunday 18 July, 2021 edition of Daily Trust that President Buhari had an agreement with Tinubu that he will hand over to him (Tinubu) come 2023, meaning that the ruling party will have no candidate other than the former Governor of Lagos State, who will succeed the President.

Obono-Obla said it is not true as no such agreement took place.

“I have read with amusement the interview granted Sunday Trust edition of July 18, 2021, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga.

“He alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari had an implied agreement with Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu to hand over to him in 2023. I don’t want to talk about the purported implied agreement but will still say that no such agreement was disclosed to the Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee and the CPC Merger Committee negotiated with the defunct ACN; ANPP, and factions of APGA and DPP for the formation of APC in 2013. I was the Secretary of the defunct CPC Merger Committee and the Co-Secretary of the Joint Inter Merger Party Committee, and if such an agreement I should have known.

“The Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee was an umbrella body of the Merger Committees of the defunct ACN, ANPP, CPC, and factions of APGA and DPP. The Chairman was Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, while Chief Tony Ikime, late Senator Mohammed Garba Gadi, and Senator Annie Okonkwo were co-Chairmen. The Co-secretaries were late Dr. Ibrahim Lame (ACN); Chief George Mogahlu (ANPP); Okoi Obono-Obla (CPC) and Senator Osita Izunaso (APGA).

“At the time of the Merger of the defunct CPC with ACN and others in 2013, Senator Hanga was no longer the Chairman of CPC. The Chairman of CPC then was late Prince Tony Momoh. Prince Tony Momoh was elected the National Chairman of the CPC on January 6, 2011, at Eagle Square, Abuja, in the first national convention of the CPC, which was convened to ratify the candidature of then General Muhammadu Buhari as the Presidential Candidate of the CPC and also to elect the National Officers of the CPC. I was elected the National Deputy Secretary of the CPC in that convention.”

He said: “After that, Senator Hanga, through his spokesman, Dennis Aghanya, on August 12, 2013, claimed that their faction of the CPC was merging with PDM.

“I, therefore, don’t understand how Senator Hanga would know what was going on in CPC when he ceased to be a member in 2013 when CPC merged with ACN and ANPP to form the All Progressives Congress, APC.

“I want to put the records straight for posterity and students of politics and history in Nigeria,” he said.

Read details of Okoi Obono-Obla’s disclaimer below:

Re: There was agreement Buhari will hand over to Tinubu – Ex-CPC Chair, Hanga

By Okoi Obono-Obla

I have read with amusement the interview granted Sunday Trust edition of July 18, 2021, Senator Rufai Sani Hanga.

He alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari had an implied agreement with Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu to hand over to him in 2023. I don’t want to talk about the purported implied agreement but will still say that no such agreement was disclosed to the Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee and the CPC Merger Committee negotiated with the defunct ACN; ANPP, and factions of APGA and DPP for the formation of APC in 2013. I was the Secretary of the defunct CPC Merger Committee and the Co-Secretary of the Joint Inter Merger Party Committee, and if such an agreement I should have known.

The Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee was an umbrella body of the Merger Committees of the defunct ACN, ANPP, CPC, and factions of APGA and DPP. The Chairman was Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, while Chief Tony Ikime, late Senator Mohammed Garba Gadi, and Senator Annie Okonkwo were co-Chairmen. The Co-secretaries were late Dr. Ibrahim Lame (ACN); Chief George Mogahlu (ANPP); Okoi Obono-Obla (CPC) and Senator Osita Izunaso (APGA)

At the time of the Merger of the defunct CPC with ACN and others in 2013, Senator Hanga was no longer the Chairman of CPC. The Chairman of CPC then was late Prince Tony Momoh. Prince Tony Momoh was elected the National Chairman of the CPC on January 6, 2011, at Eagle Square, Abuja, in the first national convention of the CPC, which was convened to ratify the candidature of then General Muhammadu Buhari as the Presidential Candidate of the CPC and also to elect the National Officers of the CPC. I was elected the National Deputy Secretary of the CPC in that convention.

Senator Hanga was the pioneer national interim Chairman of the CPC from June 2009 to December 30, 2010. I was also the National Interim National Legal Adviser and Member of the Board of Trustees when Senator Hanga was interim National Chairman of the Party. However, in December 2010, the Board of Trustees of the Party under the leadership of General Muhammadu Buhari issued a directive to the effect that all national officers that wished to contest for positions in the National Convention scheduled to hold from 4-6 January 2011 and seek nomination as candidates of the Party for the March/April 2011 general election should resign.

Indeed Senator Hanga resigned his position as interim National Chairman to the sought nomination of the governorship candidate of the CPC for Kano State.

Curiously and surprisingly, after Senator Hanga failed to win the nomination to become Governorship candidate of the CPC, he claimed that he remains the National Chairman of the CPC in about October 2011. Senator Hanga tried but successfully to fractionalize the CPC. Senator Hanga rallied some former interim national executive committee members, including Alhaji Badmus Mutalif, Alhaji Abdulkwaheed Adebayo Adeleke, and Dennis Aghanya, to file a suit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Gudu Judicial Division, seeking to remove Prince Tony Momoh and other national officers of the CPC elected on January 6, 2011. Honorable Justice Banjoko heard the case, and I was the Counsel to the CPC. Gladly, Senator Hanga lost the case.

Further, Senator Hanga attempted to use the Court to stop the merger of the defunct CPCwith ACN, ANPP, and other factions of AGPA and DPP in 2013 and lost the case.
Senator Hanga and his group were expelled from the CPC in 2013, although he claimed he was the CPC’s National Chairman.

After that, Senator Hanga, through his spokesman, Dennis Aghanya, on August 12, 2013, claimed that their faction of the CPC was merging with PDM.

I, therefore, don’t understand how Senator Hanga would know what was going on in CPC when he ceased to be a member in 2013 when CPC merged with ACN and ANPP to form the All Progressives Congress, APC.

I want to put the records straight for posterity and students of politics and history in Nigeria.