With more than eight months in the saddle as the party in power both at the national level and also in Kaduna state where it is in control, all seems not to be well within the ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The coming together of strange bed-fellows to unseat the past government through a merger, the victory is said to be having its tolls on the affairs of the APC as it has moved from one crisis to another especially among its members, particularly with who takes charge and who gets what in terms of appointments.
Of particular interest is the continuing clash in Kaduna state between the Governor, Ahmed Nasir el-Rufai on the one hand and the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Comrade Shehu Sani taking up the government and its officials on what has been described as a “no-holds barred” fight.
While the Senator is accusing the governor of implementing policies that are anti-people; the masses who voted massively to ensure the defeat of the PDP at the polls and also undermining and sidelining of the party stakeholders in decisions that bothers on the successes of the APC at the state, the governor is accusing the Human Rights Activist turned politician of ridiculing the party in what has been described as “anti-party activities”.
Shehu Sani has continuously criticized the policies of El-Rufai administration describing it as anti-people and not favourable to the electorate. One of such criticisms was that of the banning of street trading, hawking and the demolition exercises by the governor, which he said were coming too early into the administration. On the demolition, Shehu Sani had queried the move as it would only pitch the party against the people as, it would make many homeless, including that of shops which is capable of causing unemployment among the citizenry.
Sani had in his criticisms of the governor’s policies, insisted that such a move, without due regard to the opinions of stakeholders and party stalwarts is an act of impunity for which they had criticized the past government for.
But the state Governor, through his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, had described the move by the government as a “reclamation of state owned lands and ensuring due compliance of necessary laws”.
The government had claimed that many persons had built on lands belonging to state owned institutions especially schools and this was unacceptable as it was capable of causing distractions to pupils.
In the “reclamation drive”, many structures valued at several hundreds of millions of naira belonging to very prominent personalities in the state were marked for demolition and after due diligence, observed that those with valid approvals and Certificate of Ownership, would be appropriately compensated.
From the ancient city of Zaria to the city metropolis in Kaduna, several houses and shops have since fallen to the bulldozers of the state.
Some party officials at the state secretariat of the APC have joined forces with Shehu Sani and accused the governor of sidelining the party members and failing to allow for the emergence of a political leadership within the APC in Kaduna. This allegation is coming on the heels of the absence of a constituted executive of the party as it has no substantive chairman.
Recall that the erstwhile chairman, Bala Barnabas “Bantex” was nominated as the Deputy Governor in the build up to elections and since then, as the Leader of the APC in Kaduna, the governor has not deemed it fit to see to the reconstitution of the party executives to ensure for a smooth running of the party at the state level. A visit to the State Secretariat of the APC would prove so.
Some stakeholders see it as a deliberate move to stifle any likely challenge or query from the party, others said it is not the governor’s place to decide for the party as there are laid down procedures for the conduct of Ward Congresses and State Congress where officials of the party are elected. Hence if the party members are desirous of organizing any congress, they were free to do so and not hang all the blames on the governor.
Others however believe that, without the reconstitution of the party structures, many aggrieved members of the party could go up in arms against the APC at the state level. As both the former Chairman and the Secretary are in the Government House as Deputy Governor and Commissioner of Works respectively.
Who blinks first between the camp of the Governor and Senator Sani in their media war which has virtually taken up the social media has become very worrisome to the national secretariat of the APC.
An initial attempt by perceived persons doing the bidding of the Governor had orchestrated the suspension of Senator Shehu Sani through an announcement from the party via his Ward II, alleging anti-party activities. This alleged suspension of the very outspoken Human Rights Activist and fire-brand Senator did not receive the blessings of the national secretariat of the APC and as such, the State Secretariat was directed to immediately withdraw and retract the suspension of the Senator.
According to some of the party members, the Comrade Senator is gradually becoming a darling of sorts to the masses who see him as their voice; the alleged suspension was alleged to be prearranged by the state governor who had become very uncomfortable with the spate of criticisms from the senator. Even as many has accused the Comrade of drawing undue attention to himself to achieve his gubernatorial ambition of 2019.
This assumption gave birth to series of allegations against the governor that one of his aides was responsible for having organized the said suspension by bribing some of the Ward executives to sign the purported suspension letter.
The governor’s aide who was alleged to have masterminded the purported suspension letter from Ward II which the Senator comes from has reportedly debunked any complicity in the said letter and was said to have accused the Comrade of always playing to the gallery.
In all of these, political pundits in the state have called on both parties to sheathe their swords and forge ahead in their task of providing leadership to the people of the state as, this is certainly not part of the change they had promised to bring to the electorates.
The verbiage of words, according to Mallam Abubakar Mai’Iliasu has its negative effects on the fortunes of the APC bringing to bear what the likely fallout of such crises would promote within the party.
Recall that following the verbal exchanges in print and social media, the National Secretariat of the APC had attempted to wade into the matter by delegating the National Vice Chairman of the party, (North-west) Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir to reconcile both personalities but that move had reportedly ended in a fiasco.
The efforts by Inuwa Abdulkadir to reconcile Senator Shehu Sani and the State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai further polarized the duo as it was alleged that some aides to the governor were said to have raised some objections including accusing and raining abusive invectives on the Vice Chairman for taking sides with Shehu Sani.
In one of the accusations made against the North-west Vice Chairman, it was alleged that he (Inuwa Abdulkadir) “does not have the powers to lift the suspension and was acting on his own without any authorization by the national leadership of the party, and as such, the 11month suspension slammed on Shehu Sani by the Kaduna State APC, stands”.
Inuwa Abdulkadir was further accused of abusing his office through the promotion of people who had never been interested in the progress and success of the APC.
Senator Shehu Sani in his response has however insisted that he was still a member of the ruling party as long as President Buhari is still in the APC because, “Buhari is APC”. Sani further disclosed that “he has instructed his supporters and followers to abide by the decision of the national secretariat of the party but unfortunately, some people are capitalizing on the crisis for their own benefits”.
Though supporters of the governor had accused Senator Shehu Sani of trying to draw publicity to himself and create an aura of relevance ahead of 2019 when he hopes to contest for the position of governor. This the senator camp had debunked saying it was an attempt by the governor’s camp to give the dog a bad name in order to hang it.
Political pundits and stakeholders have cautioned the gladiators to quickly shield their swords in the interest of the party as a house divided against itself, would surely fall.
Junaid Kabiru Abdulaziz, a political analyst in his opinion believes that the APC is trying to take for granted the goodwill it received from the people who against all odds confronted the PDP by voting en masse for the APC which was then in the opposition. The level of impunity and outright arrogation of powers currently being displayed within the APC is capable of further splitting the party into factions, if not quickly resolved.
According to Junaid, ”There were contributions from stakeholders and interest groups which saw to the victory at the 2015 elections culminating in the emergence of the APC as the ruling party. It would therefore be foolhardy for anyone to unilaterally arrogate all powers to himself or his group of loyalists. This in his words boils down to impunity, utter disregard to party discipline and finally results in the collapse of any leader and party.
Several other stakeholders of the APC have however solicited for the quick and timely intervention by the national leadership of the party including the President himself to immediately call to order all the warring parties particularly the Governor Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai and Senator Shehu Sani to sheath their swords and reconcile their differences for the good of the party.
With available information, many of the concerned stakeholders are greatly perturbed with the unfolding drama within the Party as it is capable of dividing the APC especially in Kaduna state as both factions are doing everything to outdo the other.
Governance, in every democracy is all about the electorates benefiting in terms of developmental and economic gains. Presently, many in the state has opined that the governor has several projects planned to move the state to the next level but regretted the deplorable state of roads in the metropolis which to them, the governor is wasting time in rehabilitating.
One of the lawmakers in the state Hon Yakubu Barde had applauded the governor’s plans for the state but feared if such can be achieved with the little resources available.
As the war of words continue between the two prominent sons of the state many has feared that it would have a negative effect on the electorate and the state giving credence to the saying that when two elephants fight the grass suffers.
Hon Barde during an interactive session with the media had been asked the effect of the face-off between the governor and the senator and he was quick to say that it was not healthy and could be detrimental to the state as most times lawmakers attract developmental projects to their state.
A house divided against itself, definitely does not stand and from all indications, the All Progressives Congress, APC in Kaduna state is polarized between its leadership and this portends dangers which might be capitalized on by the opposition.
The opposition in the state is in jubilation over the power play between the two APC stalwarts and according to Hon Yakubu Barde: “The rift between Governor El Rufai and Senator Shehu Sani is an advantage to my party”.
The battle is still raging as the senator has threatened to go to court if the purported suspension on him is not rescinded as the state executives of the party has not been properly constituted wondering how that order came to be.
If this show of strength is not resolved on time, the dangers it portends for the party would be colossal as a lot of supporters of the party according o political pundits, are beginning to express worry. Saying that if people who are supposed to be beacons of light engage in such then what happens to the electorates?
No comments:
Post a Comment