All seems not to be well within the Katsina State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Presently, the party is enmeshed in crisis following allegations and counter allegations of anti party activities labelled against some of its Abuja-based members.
Rising from its enlarged meeting last week, the state chapter said it is set to sanction some of those members for their alleged roles in undermining the fortunes and activities of the party, and that of the government of Aminu Masari.
The party’s stand was based on its investigations in which it uncovered how these politicians have become moles by supporting the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to fight Katsina APC administratively and politically. It resolved to expel anyone found wanting after a Disciplinary committee have concluded its assignment.
Although no name was mentioned at the meeting, but there were pointers to those who contested the 2015 elections and never returned to the state after their defeat, and then dragging the state to court against party guidelines, as well as those behind the power shift in the state.
However, a blind shot of all Abuja-based members of the party as published by some national dailies further compounded the political chaos and tension in the state, with each person mentioned trying to clear his name directly or indirectly.
As the apprehensions heightened, by midweek, the party tried to clear some persons when it addressed another press conference.
It tried to streamline and place all the names mentioned against their activities and ranks within the party.
The state chairman of the party, Shitu Shitu, directly or indirectly tried to exonerate some members when he said “People like Hadiza Bala Usman, Ahmed Dangiwa, Sabi’u Tunde, Mamam Daura, Sani Zangon Daura and Musa Haro cannot be seen to be involved in such anti-party activities because some of them have contributed more than enough to the progress of the party, adding that “some among those mentioned are elder statesmen who set agenda and are well respected.”
Shedding more light, the vice chairman of the party, Bala Abubakar, said “Dangiwa is our first acting chairman in the state who is always with us and his people; Hadiza is a good member who both contributed a lot during campaigns and eventual victories.”
“What the media did was just firing sporadic shots; mixing the names of people. They could have waited a bit and we would have given them the real culprits,” he said.
Although the party leadership and the committee are still holding the names of those being accused in their hearts, however another top party chieftain who is privy to the investigative committee confided in our reporter that the names blindly put forward was mixing grains with chaff.
The source singled out the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; the party’s gubernatorial aspirant in 2015 Abubakar Samaila Isa Funtua, an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, and his father Samaila Isa funtua , a powerful member of the ‘cabal’ in the villa, as those to get the party’s hammer.
“They are the main target; we have enough evidence of their roles before, during and after the election tribunal cases. How they tried to influence judgments, to upturn Masari’s election and so on,” the source, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Perhaps, one may clearly see the writing on the wall when Governor Aminu Masari addressed APC members at the Government House where he announced how his administration is being undermined by these ‘powerful forces based in Abuja’.
Masari had alleged that “some Abuja-based Katsina All Progressives Congress (APC) members are using federal government resources to undermine the party and his administration in the state, noting that APC as a party needs a total overhaul and the lack of discipline within the party may lead to its extinction.”
According to Masari “the state chapter of the APC and the administration was dragged to court against the party’s laid down rules and regulations which stipulate expulsion for anyone who does so.”
“We were dragged up to the Supreme Court twice, no one said a thing. Federal government money was used to fight us and that is what is being used still to fight us, because we are aware of what is happening,” he added.
“We are here, some that lost primary elections in 2015 have not set feet in Katsina State. We won’t allow them to use the opportunity to cause disruptions in our state politically or administratively,” he said.
Although Masari did not call out Abubakar, but political observers, conversant with events in the run to the 2015 elections, confirmed that Masari was referring to his closet political foe, Abubakar, who is still the only remaining and visible member of the APC-Akida in the state.
For the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika, his ‘sins’ according to political analysts may not be unconnected to his political ambition ahead of the 2023 election to seek for the governorship of the state. Sirika, from Daura Senatorial zone, is believed to be eyeing the position, giving the recent agitation of power shift from the zone.
However, Dangiwa and Hadiza have taken to the media to clear their names. Dangiwa, through his support group, issued a statement distancing himself from the list and pledging his unalloyed support to the party and administration.
Hadiza said she was shocked to have been listed among those perceived to be against the government of Masari and vowed to meet the governor and await the investigative committee report.
For the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), what is happening in the APC in an indication of its earlier stand that the party is just a conglomerate of people without a clear focus and direction.
The state chairman, Salisu Majigiri, said the APC should just handle its problem and stop the blame game of involving it in its affairs, insisting that the PDP does not associate with members of another party for any reason whatsoever.
All efforts to get Sirika and Abubakar’s reactions proved abortive as they both failed to respond to enquiries made by our reporter.
