OPEN LETTER TO HE MAI MALA BUNI: RESTORING INTERNAL DEMOCRACY THROUGH A PEOPLE-DRIVEN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW
Your Excellency Mai Mala Buni Hon Mai Mala Buni
1. Permit me to begin by acknowledging your distinguished service as both the former National Secretary and the Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Your stewardship during a turbulent chapter of our party’s history was not just a stabilizing force but also a unifying effort that brought the APC back from the brink. It is therefore with great hope and expectation that we welcome your recent appointment as the Chairman of the APC Constitutional Review Committee.
Your Excellency, this assignment is not just procedural—it is pivotal. It is a rare opportunity to reposition the APC as a model of internal democracy and a disco party, and to institutionalize a structure that rewards loyalty, promotes equity, and prepares the party for the future.
2. The Time for Internal Democracy is Now
One of the most glaring ailments afflicting our great party today is the erosion of internal democracy. Selection, rather than election, has become the norm. Primaries are often manipulated by powerful godfathers, and consensus is used as a weapon of exclusion rather than a tool of unity. This constitutional review offers the chance to codify internal democracy as an inviolable principle. Direct primaries must become the default method of candidate selection at all levels. Delegates lists should be published early and subjected to party member verification, ensuring transparency and eliminating the culture of last-minute substitution.
3. Standardizing Party Dues: A Sustainable Party is a Democratic Party
To ensure financial independence and reduce the undue influence of moneybags, the constitution must stipulate a transparent and standardized dues structure. At the ward level, let every registered party member contribute a minimum of ₦100 monthly. In exchange, members must have the right to demand accountability and participate in all party activities. A dues-paying member is not a beggar for inclusion but a stakeholder with rights.
4. Reward the Faithful, Not the Opportunists
A critical moral fracture in today’s APC is the idolization of decampees and political opportunists over loyal, grassroots party men and women. The current reward system insults those who have built the party from the ground up, only to be sidelined for defectors who bring nothing but electoral desperation.
The new constitution must mandate a Loyalty Reward Framework; a structure that documents service history and creates a transparent system of appointments, opportunities, and recognition based on tenure, performance, and commitment. Decampees should go through a probationary period before being eligible for appointments/nomination, while loyal members must be prioritized in government representation.
5. Youth and Women: More Than Just Token Titles
It is intellectually dishonest and politically counterproductive to treat women and youth as mere appendages with fixed “leaders” rather than as full-fledged participants in the political process. The APC constitution must mandate that 50% of all elective and appointive positions within party structures: from ward executives to national working committee—be reserved for youth (under 40) and women. Not just Youth Leader. Not just Woman Leader. But Chairpersons, Secretaries, PROs, and State Working Committee positions.
The youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the warriors of today. Women are not support staff, they are the backbone of the political process. Any constitution that fails to affirm this is outdated and unworthy of the progressive values we claim to uphold.
6. Aligning with Global Standards of Party Governance
Across the world, credible political parties are judged not just by their electoral victories, but by the strength of their internal governance. From the Democratic Party in the U.S. to the African National Congress in South Africa and the Conservative Party in the U.K., internal democracy, clear financial policies, and inclusionary structures are foundational elements of party credibility. Parties that thrive internationally have enforceable rules, transparent primaries, leadership term limits, and mandatory gender and youth quotas. For the APC to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such parties, our constitution must rise above personal interests and reflect best practices that inspire confidence among citizens and partners alike.
7. Digitalize or Die: The APC Must Embrace 21st Century Governance
Our party cannot afford to operate analog in a digital world. The revised APC constitution must mandate the full digitalization of membership registration, dues collection, and party administration. An online portal should be created for seamless member registration, tracking of dues, event participation, and access to party documents. E-receipts and blockchain-auditable financial records must replace opaque, manual processes. As Nigeria’s electoral process evolves digitally with INEC embracing technology, the APC must lead by example. Anything short of a digital-first party structure keeps us stagnant and vulnerable to manipulation, corruption, and irrelevance in the fast-changing global political landscape.
8. A Call to Action
This constitutional review must not be an elite conversation in Abuja. It must go to the grassroots. Town halls, zonal consultations, and open submission portals must be created to engage party members across Nigeria. Let us use this moment to correct past injustices, codify meritocracy, and embed a participatory culture in our party’s DNA.
HE Mai Mala Buni, you are not just chairing a committee—you are scripting a legacy. This is your opportunity to be remembered as the man who gave the APC back to its members, restored its moral authority, and built a constitution that will last beyond personalities and power blocs.
Let us make the APC truly progressive—by constitution, by conduct, and by courage.
Yours Progressively,
Mallam Idris Jibril,
Publisher-The Progressives Magazine| www.theprogressives.ng
Party Member | Political Advocate | Nigerian Citizen
