APC Congress: Two Kano Senators, Others Tackle Ganduje, Reject Party’s Nomination

By Ibrahim Shuaibu

Crisis rattling the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano may be heading for the worse as former governor and senator representing Kano Central, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, one other senator and four federal lawmakers waged war against Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The members of the National Assembly representing Kano rejected the outcome of APC ward and local government congresses while demanding urgent intervention of the national leadership of the party to avoid disintegration ahead of Saturday state congress.

The lawmakers who met at the Asokoro residence of Senator Shekarau in Abuja warned that any attempt by Ganduje led party leadership to impose candidates on loyal party in the coming State Congress would be resisted.

Those at the meeting include former Kano State Governor and senator representing Kano South, Senator Kabiru Gaya and his counterpart from Kano North, Senator Barau Jibril.

Others are members of House of representatives, from Municipality, Mr. Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada; that of Tofa/Dawakin-Tofa/Rimin-Gado, Mr Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe; Gabasawa/Gezawa Mr Nasiru Abduwa; Karaye, Barrister Haruna Dederi and chairman Buhari support organization, Alhaji Shehu Dalhatu.

The lawmakers who were obviously agitating for the replacement of the APC caretaker chairman in the state, Mr. Abdullahi Abbas were also joined by the Alhaji Ahmadu Haruna Zago, one of the chairmanship aspirants.

Ganduje had recently declared that Kano is ready for the congress following the stakeholders’ consultation which agreement on cucus candidates, the lawmakers insisted that they were not carried along.

Governor Ganduje was accused of waging war against House of Representatives members Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada, Abdulkadir Jobe whom he allegedly blocked from making any impact in the last two APC Congresses.

In a petition filed to the national headquarters of APC at the end of the meeting, the forum unanimously resolved that, “We reject in totality, the purported congresses said to be carried out by the state party leadership, at the ward and local government levels in the entire state because of its exclusiveness and flagrant violation 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. We urged the national leadership of the party to urgently take a decisive steps to end the destructive tendencies manifestly exhibited in the management of the party affairs in Kano state”

Responding to the allegations, the Caretaker chairman Prince Abdullahi Abbas denied the allegations of the lawmakers claiming that the party considered all the Senators and lawmakers as critical stakeholders and decision-making mechanism of the party.