El-Rufai buldozers hit APC secretariat
The Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been enmeshed in crisis for some time, but the internal wrangling reached a boiling point last week, following the demolition of one of the factions’ secretariat, Baba Negedu reports
The political turmoil within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State came to a head recently with the demolition of the factional office of the party at 11B Sambo road , Ungwan Rimi GRA by the Kaduna State Geographical Information Service (KADGIS). The agency said it had no option but to demolish the building belonging to Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC – Kaduna North) over what it called “flagrant violations of land use” and refusal to pay ground rent for up to eight years.
The demolition coming barely 48 hours after the faction led by Senator Hunkuyi suspended the state governor, Malam Nasir El- Rufai, fom the party for six months over what it described as anti party and anti human activities has left tongues wagging within and outside the state over the real motive behind the demolition exercise.
For those conversant with the politics of Kaduna State, it is no longer news that the state chapter of the APC is divided into three camps. The main APC or what some will refer to as the remains of the once buoyant party that wrestled power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is under the control of the state governor, recognises him as the leader of the party in the state. There is also the APC Akida (True APC) faction, which broke away from the main party due to what its members described as the alleged high handedness of the Governor El-Rufai.
The faction is led by Tom Maiyashi, who contested for the chairmanship of the party after the merger of the opposition parties that led to the formation of the APC in 2013, but lost to the deputy governor, Barnabas Bala Bantex. The faction has the likes of Senator Shehu Sani, who is locked in a running battle with the governor since the beginning of this administration. Others are Amb. Sule Buba and Isa Ashiru, who lost to El-Rufai in the APC governorship primaries for the 2015 elections.
There is also the APC Restoration Group led by Tijani Ramalan, a business man and media mogul, whose platform almost became the mouthpiece of the party during the last election, when the going was still good.
Before now, Senator Hunkuyi, who played a major role in the election of Governor El-Rufai, was in the camp of the main APC. However, sources said his ambition to become governor and his disagreement with the governor over appointments and control of the party’s structures led to the once political ally parting ways. When the going was good, it was Senator Hunkuyi, who allegedly connived with Governor El-Rufai to unseat the current acting chairman of his faction, Danladi Wada, who was then deputy state chairman to the present deputy governor, Bantex.
Because they were said not to be comfortable with independent minded Wada, he was routed out and replaced with Shuaibu Idris, who is presently leading the main APC as acting chairman.
Meanwhile, two main reasons are said to be responsible for the current crisis rocking the party, a development that had made the different stakeholders to go out for broke in line with the Nigerian politics of winner takes all. The first is the Ahmed Bola Tinubu reconciliation committee which many of the aggrieved parties see as a make or mar.
The thinking in the camps is that if the former Lagos State governor cannot settle the rift, everybody will go their separate ways. On the other hand, some of the gladiators in the crisis think that it is better to be well positioned to negotiate in case Tinubu is able to resolve the crisis. The second reason New Telegraph reliably gathered is that there is already an alleged list of candidates purportedly compiled by the main APC loyal to the governor.
The list is said to contain the names of members who are going to contest the 2019 elections from councillorship to the governorship positions on the platform of the APC.
Just like during the last ward and local government congresses of the party allegedly hijacked by the main party that led members of the Akida and Restoration groups to address a press conference at the headquarters of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) where hoodlums tried to disrupt the process, members of the two camps are said to be exempted from the list of candidates.
Among high profile replacements on the list according to the source are the senators representing Kaduna North and Central senatorial districts – Hunkuyi and Shehu Sani – who are said to have been replaced by the state Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Abdul Kwari and the Political Adviser to the Governor, Malam Uba Sani, respectively to contest the poll in 2019. While Kwari is yet to show that he is ready to contest the poll, Sani’s body language has already shown that he is ready to give Senator Sani a run for his money.
But, worried by the development and already sensing political defeat even before election hostilities begin, the two camps also struck back. It was their response to the unfolding political drama and the battle for political survival that gave rise to the setting up of a parallel party secretariat, launching of the APC Aspirants Forum to close ranks with other members of the party that have the ambition to contest but are not on the list and what they called “thumbs down revolution for Governor Nasir El-Rufai.” Hunkuyi, who led the group also went for the jugular of those eyeing his seat and that of his colleague, Sani , by slamming an 18 months suspension on the governor’s aides – Kwari and Sani,
This is in addition to the query issued to El-Rufai. Reacting to the development, the governor, through his spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, described the camps as political traders, who will soon be sent into retirement.
He added that government will not be swayed by their drowning antics. According to a statement signed by Aruwan, “no one will pay heed to the attention-seeking gambits of desperate politicians who have steadily been demystified.
Also rascally actions being undertaken by these traders in the hope of getting a lifeline from reconciliation moves will not be rewarded. “Government had been made aware of the boastful and pompous claims of Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, that he will change the leadership of Kaduna State in 2019 by installing himself as Governor.
The desperate Senator is seeking a lifeline, in the vain belief that ratcheting up rascally actions will bring him attention and relief from the mooted national reconciliation efforts. “Senator Hunkuyi has further illegally created a faction, headquartered in his house, as a bargaining chip.
This Senator has failed to understand that you cannot create party executives at your whim. It is the party’s prerogative to consider appropriate responses to this breach of discipline. But as a government, we view these actions as the needless drama of political traders.
“Hunkuyi has on three previous elections failed to get himself elected as governor. Yet he flaunts false claims that it was him that got Malam Nasir El-Rufai elected in 2015. It is clear that he can’t be cured of his obsession to be governor of Kaduna State at all cost, whether through betrayal of trust, treachery, or deceit.
But, he should know by now that Kaduna State is not for sale. Ordinary people, including those in Hunkuyi’s Kudan Local Government Area, now know that government can work for them.
The era of political traders is over.” Hunkuyi, who explained that the “thumb down revolution” is aimed at voting out El-Rufai in 2019, also hinted that he is likely to contest against the governor.
The lawmaker said he has no plan to dump the APC even if he is contesting the gubernatorial election, adding that the only way the ruling party can remain in power in Kaduna beyond 2019 is to vote out the current administration led by Governor El-Rufai. His words: “I am very likely going to contest the governorship position come 2019 by the grace of God.
The essence of the campaign – “thumb down revolution” represents democracy. The first thing is that, we have a government and we wish to vote him out. That is the simple revolution.”
Apparently referring to the alleged prepared list of candidates for the 2019 elections, Hunkuyi said: “We want to put this congregation you are seeing as APC aspirants’ platform. All we want is what the founding fathers told us at the onset of APC and that is transparent election through internal democracy.
“The power of the people, when it comes to matter of election and as far as we are concerned and as far as this forum, which we are starting here today is concerned, we will put all structures from the state to the ward level together to make sure that our followers find a credible platform on which they can aspire for whatever office from councillorship to the governorship positions in the state without any form of intimidation.
“Anything less, is not negotiable because it will amount to negotiating the instrument of our coexistence in our constitution that warrants and guarantees anyone to aspire for whatever office he or she wants to aspire for. “Therefore, we reject any attempt to base the emergence of party executives and aspirants on consensus as the democratic processes must be followed.
Anyone interested for any leadership position in the party or elective position must purchase form and stand for election.”
The senator said that the forum will work towards ensuring that primary elections were held to elect candidates for the various elective positions at all levels. Fighting back, the main APC has come down hard on the “rebels” by suspending the arrow head of the opposition within the party – Senator Hunkuyi and 28 others.
According to the Acting Secretary of the party, Yahaya Baba Pate, the decision was reached after an expanded emergency meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting.
Pate disclosed that apart from Hunkuyi, who was suspended for anti-party activities, 28 others were suspended for dragging the party to court. He further explained that Senator Hunkuyi was suspended for the role he played in floating a parallel party office in the state. In an exclusive chat with New Telegraph, Pate denied the availability of any list of candidates for the 2019 elections.
He said any such claim is false, adding that the party is democratic and follows internal democracy in all its dealings. Meanwhile, indications of a bumpy road ahead for the party emerged during the party’s State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting as thugs allegedly loyal to one of the factions tried to gain entrance into the APC secretariat along Ali Akilu road.
It took the intervention of security operatives drafted to maintain order at the meeting to disperse the hoodlums from the meeting, which had in attendance the state deputy governor.
But, that was after they had attacked Yusuf Zailani, the chief whip of the state House of Assembly and Abubakar Mamman, a member of the House of Representatives. Both had their vehicles petted with stones.
The development led to a pandemonium on the Ali Akilu road and it took a reinforcement of the police for the situation to be brought under control. The police fired teargas and several shots in the air to disperse the thugs.
The development coming in the early days of the preparation for the 2019 general elections has left many in the state worried, especially if the warring factions fail to resolve their differences before the campaigns start.
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