Yari’s Camp Splits as Fresh Crisis Rocks Zamfara APC

A fresh crisis has engulfed the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the camp of the former state governor, Abdul’aziz Yari has split into two over the state congress, reports Nseobong Okon-Ekong

Former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari’s camp of the APC had last February fused into the faction of Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, following the intervention of the presidency and the national leadership of the party, a development that ended the three-year crisis in the state chapter of the party.

There was a relative peace in the party until the defection of the state governor, Bello Matawalle in June this year. His joining of the party created a new crack as the old members of the party (Yari and Marafa camps) and the new members (Matawalle) failed to agree on the sharing of party and other positions.

The inability of the tendencies in the state chapter to integrate forced the national leadership to delay the conduct of the party’s congresses in the state.

But on Wednesday, the party via a letter dated November 10, addressed to the chairman of INEC, said it has rescheduled its congress in Zamfara State.

The letter read I part, “Re- Notice for the Conduct of State Congress” signed by the secretary of the Buni-committee, Senator John James AkpanUdoedehe, said the congress earlier scheduled for November 20, was moved backward.

To this effect, an emergency meeting of the Yari/ Marafa camp was convened yesterday, where the issue of the congress was tabled and discussed.

Reliable sources said at the meeting, the that Yari camp was split into two with one group insisting on pursuing a pending litigation on the dissolution of party executives while the second group backed today’s congress.

One of the sources, said the first group under the leadership of Lawal M. Liman, the chairman of the dissolved executives under Yari, insisted on pursuing their pending litigation on the dissolution of their executives by the national caretaker committee of the party.

A source in the camp said, ” we cannot participate in the congress because it is prejudice. You know we have our litigation on the dissolution of our executives pending. We will not participate in this congress rather we will pursue our litigation to its logical conclusion. No going back.”

But a chieftain of the party in the second camp, said they will organize a parallel congress.

” We will have our own congress and we have mobilized our supporters from the 147 wards of the state for the exercise. Our camp is being led by Sirajo Maikatako, the chairman of the Marafa’s camp, ” he said, blaming Buni for the latest crisis in the party.

He added that majority of the top shots of the Yari’s camp including Mukhtar Shehu Idris (Koguna), Senator Lawali Shuaibu, Senator Tijjani Kaura, Abdulmaliki Zubairu, Abubakar Dantabawa, among others are in support of their camp.

Spokesperson of the Marafa’s faction of the APC in Zamfara State, Alhaji Bello Soja Bakyasuwa Maradun announced the successful conduct of their parallel ward congress across the 14 LGAs of the state.

In a statement Saturday, Maradun said they have successfully conducted the congress in all the 147 wards of the state.

“Let me begin by acknowledging the fact that the Marafa/Yari’s faction of the APC here in Zamfara State has made yet another milestone and a significant move towards ensuring peaceful and successful democratic atmosphere in the state,” he said.

He noted that members of the Lawal Liman Kaura camp of Yari were not part of the congress they organized.

“Therefore, I wish to clearly state that our ward congress is genuine, legal, constitutional, democratic and in accordance with our dear party’s constitution.

“Let me reaffirm that APC structure arising from Marafa/Yari’s camp has come to stay in Zamfara and for the interest of democracy.

“Our elected ward executives are grassroots politicians committed to ensuring the success of our party at all levels. They were not selected by Senator Marafa or former governor Yari, they were elected by members of our beloved party,” he said.

He urged the newly elected officials to carry everybody along in the running of the party at ward level.