EL-RUFAI AND THE KADUNA APC CRISIS
The Kaduna State All Progressives Congress’ 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 logger heads with the state governor.The APC aspirants forum formed by Senator Hunkuyi is the lattest 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 reconciliation committee under the national leader of the party, Asiwaji Bola Tunubu with clear mandate to tour all the APC-controlled states,reach out to aggrieved members and reconcile them.The Tinubu-led reconciliation committee will face an arduous task in Kaduna State in view of the balkanisation of the party and inability of the state governor to resolve the knotty political crisis right from the onset.
The crisis as I have learnt emanated immediately governor Nasir el-Rufai picked 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 admnistration, Governor El-Rrufai 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. Eversince, the state chapter of APC has been battling with different splitting groups with each group boosting or claiming leadership of the party.Instead of resolving the crisis before it lingered, El -Rufai was busy fighting those he percieved as his political enemies. No wonder the crisis defied solution.
To make matters 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 is said to have been suspended for six months.The governor’s suspension came barely three days the main factional leadership suspended Hunkuyi for six months.The crisis of this multi-dimensional nature demands 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 convene 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 crisis in the leadership of the party.The governor 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