The National Vice
Chairman (North West) of the ruling APC, Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, said that he
was reliably informed that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna and
ex-governor
Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State intended to pull him down because of the party
matters in their respective states.
He said governor
El-Rufai once threatened to beat him up and prevent him from coming into Kaduna
in the presence of other governors from the Zone in his office when he made an
appeal for him to take leadership and drive a process that will harmonise,
reconcile and solidify the party in the state.
Inuwa said this at
APC national secretariat in Abuja while addressing journalists on the
allegations leveled against him by Hajiya Aisha Kaita, the APC Zonal Women
Leader (North West).
“A week before she
issued the Press Statement, I was reliably informed that Malam El-Rufai
intended to take on me over the APC crisis in Kaduna State….everything will be
done to ensure that I am pulled down; and this they intended to achieve by
teaming up with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Governor of Kano State
as according to them, Senator Kwankwanso too is aggrieved by the party’s
decision in respect of the chairmanship position in Kano State.
“However, this did
not surprise me because of the previous encounters I had with Malam El-Rufai
and his threats and outbursts,” the APC Zonal Chairman added.
Hajiya Aisha had
accused him of not only misappropriating campaign and office furniture funds
but also single-handedly operating an account in the name of North West Zonal
Executive Committee.
Reacting to the
allegations yesterday at a media briefing also attended by the Zonal Secretary,
Alhaji Tukur Abdulkadir Gusau, Inuwa claimed that the allegations were
intentionally fabricated to ridicule his person and bring him to disrepute.
“I wish to state
here that the only funds that were disbursed to the Zone were done through the
party account which was opened and operated at the instance of Party’s National
Secretariat. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever made any remittance from
March 2015 to date into the account of the party. Since then to date, the Zonal
Secretariat and the party vehicle are being maintained at my personal expense.
"In addition to
these, my movements to attend party meetings in Abuja and within the Zone are
all being undertaken at my personal expense. These finances were duly
presented, discussed and approved at the last NEC meeting of the party where
Hajiya Aisha Kaita attended and made contributions."
He said the
suspension and removal of Hon. Umar Haruna Doguwa, the erstwhile chairman of
Kano State chapter of the party followed due process and was considered and
unanimously approved by the ZEC at its meeting held on December 10, 2016 in
Dutse, Jigawa Sate and attended by over 200 members, inclusive of 5 Governors
and 4 Deputy Governors.
On the Kaduna APC
crisis, Abdul-Kadir urged governor El-Rufai to give the necessary cooperation
to the Aminu Masari-led reconciliation committee to restore peace, unity and
consolidation of the party’s support in the state.
He said, “Disharmony
amongst key stakeholders of the party in Kaduna State has become so evident and
this is in no way helpful to the party. The party intervened and pacified the
aggrieved members which brought about relative peace but Malam El-Rufai, governor
of Kaduna State on the platform of the party and who is a key stakeholder of
the party has not been forthcoming in all efforts to harmonise and solidify the
party leadership structure in the state.
“On several
occasions, I had meetings with him where as the leader of the party in the Zone
made passionate appeal for him to take leadership and drive a process that will
harmonise, reconcile and solidify the party in the state.
“One of such appeals
I made was in the presence of other Governors from the Zone in his office but
his reaction was volatile and he threatened to beat me up and prevent me from
coming into Kaduna. I kept my calm as a leader considering the volatility of
Kaduna State in terms of political reaction which cannot just be ignored, and
the attendant threat it poses viz-a-viz the tremendous goodwill and support the
party is enjoying in Kaduna State.
“The other Governors
share the same concern with me and he was pacified and it was agreed, after
consultation with all concerned, to appoint a reconciliation committee under
the chairmanship of Governor Aminu Bello Masari to put some more efforts in
reconciling our members into harmony.
“The committee is
yet to conclude its assignment. But I understood that Malam Nasir El-Rufai is
yet to give the necessary cooperation to the committee which I still urge him
to do so.”
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