APC LG congress: Loyalists holds congress, ignore party’s consensus

Confusion ensured within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, yesterday as party loyalists embarked on local government congress ignoring the party’s consensus agreement.

The Guardian gathered that the party’s congress were conducted and new elected executives emerged at four local councils including Tofa, Rimin-gado, Dawakin-Toga and Municipal.

Observation at Salanta Primary School, Sharada in Municipal, where one of the congresses held indicated large turn out of party loyalists. Similar congresses held in other local councils went peaceful, a party loyalist told The Guardian.

The Abdullahi Abbas led APC caretaker committee chairman recently held a stakeholders meeting at the instance of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, where its resolved to settle for consensus candidates for the leadership of the party at council level.

Dissatisfied with the internal arrangement, however, members of APC Buhari Support Organisation opted for congress where 27 executive members emerged.

Addressing journalists at Tofa Local Council after conduct of the exercise, the member representing Dawakin Tofa and Rimingado Federal Constituency, Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe, said the party has conducted a democratic election.

He kicked against what he considered as selfish agreement of few powerful members in a democratic setting.

“You don’t hold party election in your room or in government owned building. You have to go back to the people, let them decide what they want. Every member of the party has to be part of the system.

“Once you ask people not to participate, that means we do not have democracy. And what we have been championing is the course of democracy.

“So what we are doing is to let the people decide for themselves and not what we want. So what we have done is to allow the people to decide for all of us and with that we know we are on sound footing. What we did was not affirmation, but election,” Jobe said.

Also reacting to the congress, the member representing Kano Municipal Federal Constituency, Ibrahim Shaaban Sharada, insisted that local government congress was held at across the 44 local councils.

Sharada, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Security and Intelligence, declared that members of Buhari Support Organisation from across the 44 councils purchased form and conducted election.

“I am happy with the fact that the people came out enmasse to exercise their rights because he was sure that the election took place in all the 44 councils. Because party members under the Buhari Support Organisation, led by Alhaji Shehu Dalhatu purchase the forms and were allowed to exercise their rights.

“We would not succumb to situation where few clique of people would now decide for the majority of the party members,” Sha’aban said.

Reacting to the development, the secretary of the party, said the exercise went smoothly and there was no election.

He said: “it was agreed by the stakeholders last week presided over by the governor to adopt consensus arrangement. As far as the party (caretaker committee) is concerned, no local council held any election.

“Even the representatives from the National headquarters said they went to Tofa, Municipal, Sumaila and about seven local council and they witnessed that affirmation. Nobody held any gathering in the name of election. If there is anyone, we will know,” Sarina noted.