Kaduna APC crisis: Why El-Rufa’i should be blamed
The Kaduna state APC crisis has taken a new dimension with the opening up of new state office believed to have the support of Senator Suleiman Othman Sulaiman Hunkuyi. Prior to this unfortunate development, the state chapter of APC has been factionalised with the Akida group headed by Senator Shehu Sani and Restoration group headed […]
The Kaduna state APC crisis has taken a new dimension with the opening up of new state office believed to have the support of Senator Suleiman Othman Sulaiman Hunkuyi. Prior to this unfortunate development, the state chapter of APC has been factionalised with the Akida group headed by Senator Shehu Sani and Restoration group headed by Tijjani Ramalan who were at loggerhead with the state governor. The APC aspirant’s forum formed by Senator Hunkuyi is the latest one to emerge. The Senator was quoted to have said “They decided to form the forum to identify with the aspirants who are not candidates of the governor”. The deepening and worsening of political crisis in the state has come at a time Mr President constituted a reconciliation committee under the national leader of the party, Asiwoji Bola Tunubu, with clear mandate to tour all the APC controlled states, reach out to aggrieved members and reconcile with them amicably. The Tinubu led reconciliation committee will face an arduous task in Kaduna state in view of the balkanization of the party and in ability of the state governor to resolve the knotty political crises right from the onset.
The crisis, as I have learnt, emanated immediately Governor El-Rufai picked up Barnabas Bala Bantex as his running mate. Bantex was the state chairman of the party. After his nomination with other executives of the party into his administration, Gov El-Rufai left the party in disarray. Even Bantex’s deputy who is supposed to fill the vacuum created by his elevation was conspicuously denied such right. Ever since, the state chapter of APC has been battling with different splitting group with each group boasting or claiming leadership of the party. Instead of resolving the crisis before it lingered, Gov El-Rufai was busy fighting those he percieved as his political enemies. No wonder the crisis defied solution.
To make the matter worse, the factional chairman of the party, Alhaji Dalladi Wada, suspended three powerful El-Rufai boys from the party for alleged anti-party activities. The new leadership also slammed charges against the executive governor and queried him to answer all the charges within 48 hours. Having failed to respond to the query, the governor was said to have been suspended for 6 months. The governor’s suspension came barely three days after the main factional leadership suspended Senator Hunkuyi for six months. The crises of this multi-dimensional nature demand expedient solution. From how things unfolded, if not fully resolved, the crisis would affect the party’s chance in 2019 general election. There is no way the party can win election with a divided house. The governor should take the blame because he has failed to convey reconciliation meeting at the instance of those who felt they are being sidelined. As a leader of the party in the state, the governor cannot stand aloof watching his party deeply enmeshed in crisis without offering quick intervention.
The Bola Tinubu led reconciliation committee should reach to the aggrieved factional leaders with a view to resolving the unending crises in the leadership of the party. To the governor, he should put his ego aside and act as an unbiased leader. He should know the success of the reconciliation lies on him. And it can only be achieved if he accepts his mistakes and accommodate all party members without discrimination.
Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna state 08169056963 [email protected]