Shekarau, federal lawmakers to boycott Kano APC congress

A group of All Progressive Congress (APC) members led by federal lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of wards and local governments in Kano State and vowed to boycott the state congress scheduled for next week.

The group, on Wednesday, sent a petition to the national headquarters of the party. They accused Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of sidelining them in the affairs of the party in the state, a report by Premium Times says.

The group is led by a former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau, who is the sitting senator for the Kano Central district, and many other members of the National Assembly from the state.

The petition was addressed to the Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention of the party, Mai Mala Buni, who is also the governor of Yobe State.

It was co-signed by Mr Shekarau, Barau Jibrin, who is the sitting senator for Kano North district; and Tijjani Jobe, member representing Dawakin-Tofa, Rimin Gado and Tofa federal constituency.

Othe signatories are Nasiru Auduwa, member representing Gabasawa, Gezawa, Gabasawa federal constituency and Haruna Dederi, member representing Karaye, Rogo federal constituency and Sha’aban Sharada, member representing Kano Municipal among others.

The petitioners said despite being major players in the APC in Kano, they and other federal lawmakers from the state are never consulted or carried along in matters concerning the party.

“The enormity of our contributions can well be attested to by all keen watchers of what transpired in Kano State during the 2019 elections, which saw the return of the government of APC in Kano State.

“Soon after the 2019 elections, however, we began to see the party drifting gradually into devastating problems, mainly as a result of the failure of the leadership of the party to manage the divergent interests of the party members and leaders.

“The party leaders jettisoned all promises and undertakings of carrying the party leaders/elders along in decision making on matters affecting the party, much less in the affairs of governance.

“Instead of strengthening fair and democratic internal party mechanism to address problems within the party through effective management of internal processes, the party leadership left every party issues simply in the hands of a certain group of very few individuals, whose undemocratic mindset has thrown the party in to devastating crisis,” the petition reads in parts.

The petitioners stated that appointees of the federal government from the state are also disregarded by the state party leadership.

“Therefore in the circumstances, the forum rejects in totality, the purported congresses said to be carried out by the state party leadership at the ward and local government levels, because of its exclusiveness and flagrant violations of all known civilized norms, rules and party guidelines.

‘’We shall resist any attempt by the state party leadership to carry out state congress in the same exclusive and Kangaroo manner aimed at imposing party officers on the members of the party in the state.’’

The forum then urged the national leadership of the party to urgently take decisive steps to end the destructive tendencies manifestly exhibited in the management of the party affairs in Kano State.

‘’We want to assure the national leadership of our support, cooperation and commitment to peaceful resolution of the crisis,” the letter said.

In his reaction, the caretaker committee chairperson in Kano, Abdullahi Abbas, who is a loyalist of Mr Ganduje, vowed that the party will hold its congress next week and elect those to run the party in the state.

Mr Abbas said the APC is an amalgamation of political parties and each participating party was being treated fairly.