On Wednesday, December 24, 2010, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Kaduna State held its state congress and elected Alhaji Ahmadu Yaro Coca Cola as state chairman. Hopefully, the election has drawn the curtain on a long drawn feud between Coca Cola and Alhaji Abubakar Hayatudin, former caretaker committee chairman. Incidentally, Coca cola was his deputy but the two men did not see eye-to-eye. The crisis reached its peak on September 6 when the state executive committee suspended Hayatudin and made Coca Cola acting chairman.
Hayatudin protested his suspension, arguing that a caretaker committee, going by the party’s constitution, cannot suspend him. The bubble burst on September 18 when Hayatudin attempted to enter the state secretariat. Party members, according to reports, prevented him from getting in and the situation was becoming chaotic. Hayatudin called the police and the cops chased everyone and cordoned off the place.
Confusion and violence marred the CPC ward congresses which held across the various wards in Kaduna on Saturday December 11. At Unguwar sarki, more than 20 people sustained injuries when a free for all ensued at the Ruwan Godiya Road party office as the vote count was being done. The election was a straight fight between Bala Sarkin Gida and Waliyi Dan Goga.
According to an eye witness, no sooner had the returning officer Abdulkareem declared Waliyi the winner than all hell broke loose as thugs, wielding dangerous weapons, descended on the venue. The home of Bala Dogo, one of Sarkin Gida’s supporters, was invaded and his wife stabbed. While Sarkin Gida’s camp alleged that no election took place because the mayhem disorganised the voting, Waliyi is claiming victory.
THIS CPC CAN’T CLAIM KANO!
The much anticipated takeover of Kano by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is beginning to look like a dream. Internal crisis is rocking the party, and it now has two caretaker chairmen. There is the faction led by Engineer Bashir Karaye; the National Executive Council-appointed caretaker chairman; and Alhaji Haruna Dan Zago, the embattled former caretaker chairman who has been sacked by the party’s NEC. Danzago called a press conference penultimate Tuesday, saying he was the authentic caretaker chairman.
On a different level of division, CPC in Kano runs around what is called the three stars: Lawal Ja’afaru Isa, Auwalu Anwar, and Mohammed Abacha. These three gubernatorial aspirants are fighting the state party executive committee which they perceive as being loyal to Senator Rufai Hanga, the former national chairman of the party who doubled as its gubernatorial aspirant in Kano state.
Attempt by the party to conduct the ward congresses last month was mired by protests. The three factions accused the Dan Zago-led caretaker committee of manipulating the process to install cronies of Rufai Hanga to ensure his control of the party structures. Subsequently, the party’s NEC cancelled the congresses and dissolved the state executive. Out of the 484 wards of the CPC in Kano, election was said to have taken place in less than 60 wards, at the end of which results were announced for all the wards.
KATSINA CPC: BETWEEN MASARI AND LADO’S CAMPS
In Katsina State, the main opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) is in two factions led by the two main gubernatorial aspirants: former speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari and the incumbent Senator, Yakubu Lado Danmarke.
Sunday Trust investigation revealed that factions grew recently in the party after the purported endorsement of Senator Danmarke as consensus gubernatorial candidate by a reconciliation committee led by one Major Bala Adamu which was rejected by all the other three aspirants, Masari, Nura Khalil and Mannir Yakubu who alleged compromise.
The factions became more prominent during the just concluded ward, local and state congresses which saw the candidates battling amongst themselves to secure the highest number of delegates ahead of the party primaries.
In the concluded congress, Masari’s camp sponsored some candidates to replace the former structure of the party while those in Yakubu’s camp insisted on returning the status quo at the end of which Dr Yusha’u Armaya’u-led executives were returned. When Masari’s group saw the writing on the wall, they deserted the congress venue and later alleged that monies were used to compromise the delegates.
‘THESE PEOPLE HAVE COME FROM PDP TO BLOCK OUR CHANCES’
For over three weeks now, there has been intense internal wrangling in the Kebbi State chapter of the CPC over who should control the party between the camp of Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu and that of the former FCT minister Alhaji Adamu Aliero.
Just a day before the ward congress later annulled by the party headquarters in Abuja, a meeting was arranged for the two camps to settle their differences. Although the meeting lasted into the night, the two camps could not arrive at a mutual formula for sharing the executive positions of the party.
Two weeks ago, the Tanimu camp got an injunction to restrain the party from conducting the congress earlier scheduled for penultimate Wednesday. However, the Aliero camp got a court order to conduct the congress in the face of the other order by another court to halt the congress. The congress was however held two Sundays ago with Aliero Camp clinching all the state executive positions.
The Tanimu camp is not taking the emerging situation in the party lightly and has vowed never to recognize the executives produced by the congress. The camp has also sworn to challenge what they describe as injustice from the Aliero group which they claim came from the PDP to chase the ‘rightful owners’ of the CPC and usurp their positions.
In Niger State the fracas which terminated the state congress of the CPC may have affected the peace that held the membership of the party together.
The chairman of the caretaker committee for the conduct of the congress Alhaji Umar Shuaibu who spoke to Sunday Trust regretted that the party may have been infiltrated by persons sponsored to destabilise it. He recalled that a policeman and many other people were injured in a crisis during the congress.
THIS IS NOT THE FAIRNESS WE EXPECT UNDER BUHARI -Bauchi CPC factional leader
Leadership crisis has been identified as the major problem of the CPC in Bauchi State.
The Party has existed in crisis since it was formed and it has two factions to show for it. Members of the factions, led respectively by Shehu Barau Ningi and Karamba Ibrahim have failed to reconcile despite an intervention by the national headquarters of the party which dissolved the two factions and set up two different care taker committees: one to register members of the party, and the other to conduct ward congresses and fresh election. The first committee registered members of the party successfully but the second committee that conducted fresh congresses and elected new leadership for the party from ward up to state level was disowned by the Karamba Ibrahim faction which rejected the congress.
Alhaji Chindo, the Publicity Secretary of the Karamba faction said the ward congress was conducted to favour the Shehu Barau Ningi faction. He complained, “We purchased the form but our members were denied the opportunity to contest. This is not the fairness we expect under Buhari”.
Efforts by speak to Alhaji Shehu Ningi failed but his supporter in the secretariat said Shehu Barau’s group won the congress elections because they are in the majority.
BUHARI, TINUBU: APART TOGETHER
Beyond the tussle among strange bed fellows within the CPC may arise a possible marriage of two giant bed fellows at the centre: the much discussed linking of CPC’s livewire Muhammadu Buhari with the engine room of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Bola Tinubu.
Moves to join Buhari and Tinubu respectively as presidential candidate and running mate have long been on but it is still unclear if the moves would produce the intended result.
Many reasons account for the uncertainty, among them the differences in the ways they play politics. A public commentator and informed voice on the Buhari-Tinubu mix, Barr Godwin Sunday Ogboji said Friday that though the two may differ in significant ways, exigencies of politics may make their otherwise mutually opposing ideas rhyme and move them along.
Ogboji said, “Politics is about interests. Buhari is praised as a good person and a respecter of the rule of law. On the other hand you have Tinubu, a veteran politician who fought military dictatorship and made impact but who has issues of corruption hovering around him. But you cannot deny that Tinubu is a pragmatic fighter who knows what to do at appropriate times.
“Talking about him going with Buhari for the Presidency, you must note that almost anything can happen in this country. You never knew a Muslim- Muslim ticket could work until you saw it in 1993 when the pair of two Muslims, MKO Abiola (late) and Babangana Kingibe, enjoyed political patronage from Muslims and Christians alike.”
