Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress is facing the risk of disintegration amid an internal crisis and rival claims to its leadership, President Muhammadu Buhari said.

“At the moment, our great party is faced with internal wrangling,” Buhari said in remarks at a party meeting Thursday in Abuja, the capital, emailed by the presidency. “It is obvious that the fortunes of the party are currently in jeopardy, the administration of our party is becoming impossible and there is consequently an urgent need for intervention.”

In the past week, different party officials have claimed chairmanship of the party, better known as the APC, after Adams Oshiomhole, the last chairman, was removed by a court order. An emergency meeting of the party’s national executive committee attended by Buhari decided to appoint a caretaker committee to manage its affairs while directing members to end all current litigations.

The APC was forged out of three main opposition parties and a faction of the former ruling People’s Democratic Party in 2014, creating a platform that successfully wrested power at the ballot a year later with Buhari as its candidate.

Factional differences appear to be increasing as interest groups position themselves ahead of elections in 2023, when Buhari will complete his second and final term.

Agencies