Nigerian billionaire rejects APC finance committee membership

Abdulsamad Rabiu, the chairman of BUA Group, has rejected his nomination to serve as a member of the finance committee set up by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Rabiu declined the offer in a statement by his company on Friday.

It said the billionaire industrialist prefers to be apolitical.

Mr Rabiu, a close ally of President Bola Tinubu, was nominated by the party to serve as a member of a finance committee constituted on Thursday.

He was nominated into the 34-member committee alongside some businessmen and top party members.

Other committees were also constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party after its meeting at the national secretariat in Abuja.

According to the statement by the BUA Group, the ruling party did not consult Mr Rabiu before including his name in the list.

“It is important to note that our Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu and BUA Group have consistently adopted an apolitical stance over the years. This approach is integral to the nature of our business and aligns with Mr. Rabiu’s focus on fostering economic growth through BUA Group’s initiatives and philanthropic efforts through ASR Africa.

“With respect to this, we wish to inform the publishers, our partners, stakeholders, and the general public that Mr. Rabiu has decided to graciously decline the nomination/appointment. This decision is made in light of the fact that he was not previously consulted regarding his inclusion in the list and his inability to commit time due to his demanding schedule,” it said.

The company reiterated that Mr Rabiu would not like to get any political affiliations or roles.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, could not be reached for comment.

He did not respond to calls and messages to his mobile line by PREMIUM TIMES.

Committee membership

Meanwhile, the national secretariat of APC had pasted the list of the committee members on one of its WhatsApp platforms on Thursday but deleted the post some hours after.

On Friday, the party posted the same list and included the name of Mr Rabiu despite a statement earlier declining the offer.

According to the list, the finance committee will be chaired by Uguru Ofoke while Bashir Gumel will serve as the secretary.

Other notable members include the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen; Minister of Finance, Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun and oil magnate, A.A. Rano.

A businessman, Mohammed Indimi; Kunle Soname; Tein Jack Rich are also members.

Warm relationship with Tinubu

Mr Rabiu, who is ranked the second richest person in Nigeria according to Forbes, is a close friend of President Tinubu.

He recently declared a reduction in the price of cement after a meeting with the president as part of an effort to support the government.

Meanwhile, Mr Rabiu and another billionaire, Aliko Dangote, both from Kano State have been engaging in bitter rivalry lately.

There are speculations that Mr Rabiu’s closeness to the new president might have triggered the public spat. Both billionaires published statements containing serious allegations against each other.

No consultations

The ruling party has had cases of nominating people into committees without consultation.

In August, the party nominated Nyesom Wike, a member of the opposition PDP, into the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Campaign Council.

It later removed the name, claiming that the list was fake.

During the presidential election, the party nominated some PDP members, including former Enugu State Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, and a former Edo State Commissioner, Kassim Afugba.

Also, Gideon Para-Mallam, a cleric, was nominated to the campaign council.

Akande, Ganduje head committees

The former interim chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande, is to head a conflict and reconciliation committee of the party, with former Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, as deputy chairman and Nkem Okeke as the secretary of the committee.

Mr Masari, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, currently heads the committee mediating in the crisis in the Ondo State chapter of the party.

The ruling party is facing internal crises in Rivers, Bayelsa and other states.

The National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, heads a nine-member committee on establishment.

The Inter-Governmental Committee with 26 members is chaired by Emma Eneukwu, the APC deputy national chairman (South).

According to the statement signed by the National Secretary of the party, Ajibola Basiru, all the committees will be inaugurated on 6 December at the national secretariat of the party.