Gaya, Doguwa, 19 others disown Shekarau’s led team, pledge loyalty to Ganduje

Controversy rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kano took another twist yesterday as 21 members of the National Assembly from Kano insisted there was no crisis in the party in Kano.

The 21 federal lawmakers led by Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, kicked against the petition filed by six aggrieved colleagues, including former Governor and Senator representing Kano central, Ibrahim Shekarau, his counterpart from Kano North, Senator Barau Jibril and four members of House of Representatives.

The six lawmakers under the aegis of joint stakeholders Forum had petitioned the national headquarters of the party on allegation of lopsidedness in management of its affairs and insisted the leadership under Prince Abdullahi Abbas has refused to carry them along in the scheme of things.

In the petition signed by the six members and Chairman Buhari Support Organisation in Kano, Alh. Shehu Dalhatu had rejected the outcome of the ward and local government congresses, threatening to resist any attempt by the state government and party machinery to impose candidates on members for Saturday’s state Congress of APC.

The concerned legislators equally accused Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of single-handedly running the party leadership while jettisoning the interest and stake of other critical stakeholders in the party structure.

Reacting to the petition at a press briefing, Senator Gaya declared the agitations of the aggrieved colleagues are baseless and unfounded, insisting the party leadership in Kano had never neglected the relevance of legislators.

Besides, Gaya took time to clear the air on his earlier appearance among the aggrieved colleagues during the Abuja meeting.

According to him, “Contrary to their claim, the APC leadership in Kano State led by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has been consulting all relevant stakeholders (including the purported Abuja-based petitioners) on virtually every matter in the management of the affairs of the party in the state.

“In the recently concluded ward and local government congresses, stakeholders meetings were convened, matters deliberated and subsequently a consensus mode of congress was adopted, which resulted to a successful conduct of free and fair congresses in the 484 wards and 44 local governments of the state.”

Gaya further said, “We hereby wish to respectfully urge the National Caretaker Committee of our party (APC) to disregard in its entirety, the claims of the so-called petitioners as they are baseless,
unfounded and of no credible effect whatsoever.

“We wish to reiterate our unflinching loyalty, solidarity and total support to the Mai Mala Buni-led national leadership of our great party, the APC and the governor.”

Reacting to his involvement in the Abuja meeting that produced the Shekarau-led petition, Gaya explained that he decided to pull out of the meeting because of his loyalty to Ganduje’s government.

“As for those who said they saw me in a picture with the petitioners, yes I was there. I appealed to them that we should not take a fight to bring confusion or infractions to our party. I advised that if we have any grievances, let us go and meet the governor or any relevant person in the state to explain our grievances.

“Unfortunately, they have written a letter and made a complaint which all of us should sign but I backed out because I was a governor in the state. I know what it takes when there is instability. I will not encourage instability for the governor in the state.

“We need to support our governor, we voted him into office. We cannot destroy the house that we built. We should maintain the house that we have built, paint it and make it look better,” he stated.