The All Progressives Congress has distanced itself from the suit seeking an amendment of the constitution to allow President Muhammadu Buhari to run for a third term in office.
The ruling party said the suit filed by a “self-proclaimed” member of the party, Charles Enya, was in bad taste, describing him as a busybody and an “enemy” that might have been sponsored by the opposition.
The APC in a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, threatened a legal action against Enya and serious disciplinary action, if truly he was a member of the party.
The statement said, “The party had initially chosen to ignore him, however, it has become important to send a clear message to him and such other agent provocateurs.
“At the last National Executive Committee meeting of the party, President Buhari didn’t mince words and he is not the type that talks tongue in cheek. He pointedly said he would abide by the constitution and uphold the oath of office he took, swearing by the holy book he believes in. This, he said, was beside his advanced age which made such an idea beyond his contemplation.”
The APC said it was ready to send a strong signal to enemies of the country like Enya, who might be testing the resolve of the government on its mission to work for the best of the country.
The statement added, “The party is, however, by this statement sending a strong signal to such other busybodies like Charles Enya, who may be contemplating testing the resolve of our government on our mission to work for the best for our country, to be ready to face the law.
“We would follow this new enemy of our country, who is most likely being sponsored by the desperate and misguided opposition, every step of the way, using all legal means to thwart his devilish efforts to create chaos in our country.
“As a party, we would not take kindly to anyone or group causing unnecessary distraction for this administration through anti-democratic actions. As a country, we are several years behind where we ought to be.
“The President Buhari-led administration is focused on the onerous responsibility of delivering good governance. We are focused on revamping our moribund infrastructure, growing the economy, fighting corruption, creating the right environment for our teeming youths to deploy their creative energies, and providing adequate security for all of our people.
“We have tried to find out the status of this character claiming to be a member of our party. If he turns out to be our member, we would ensure the party’s organ that has the responsibility to act on this matter promptly commence the process of expelling him. We are a progressive party and we do not have space for anti-democratic forces and charlatans.”
In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Enya had prayed that the clauses restricting the President from seeking another term be removed from the constitution
He asked the court to order the National Assembly and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to remove the constitutional clauses stopping Buhari from getting a third term.
Defendants in the suit are Clerk of the National Assembly, Mohammed Sani-Omolori, the National Assembly and the AGF.
He added that the present two-term tenure was discriminatory.