Kano APC announces Abbas as chair, Abuja dismisses process

The Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, said it has elected 15 substantive executives with Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas as chairman.

But a statement by the national secretariat of the party, also yesterday, said there was no decision yet on the party’s leadership in Kano.

The Kano State APC congress was reportedly conducted last Saturday, at the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium, under the supervision of the Prince Nwoko Orinze-led team.

Abbas, who had been running the affairs of the party in an acting capacity, reportedly emerged as substantive chairman of the party with over 2,000 votes.

Kano has a total of 2,820 delegates. Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, have been locked in a battle for the soul of the party in the state.

It was gathered that the congress was conducted to fill some vacancies in the hierarchy of the party’s executives in the state.

Other elected executives during the congress included Alhaji Shehu Maigari (Doguwa LGA), as vice chairman; Ibrahim Zakari Sarina (Garko LGA) as secretary; and Ahmed Muhammad Speaker (Dawakin Tofa LGA) as organizing secretary.

Others were Barrister Jamilu Rano as legal adviser; Alhaji Sabo Muhammad Dantata as zonal chairman, Kano Central; Musa Lawal Nana as zonal secretary, Kano North; Ma’ruf Abdullahi as deputy youth leader; and Engineer Bashir Yahaya Karaye as public relations officer.

But the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC said it had not taken any decision on the chairmanship tussle in the Kano State chapter.

The APC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, advised party members, stakeholders, leaders and the general public to disregard the reports that the chairman of the Kano State chapter, Alh. Umar Haruna Doguwa, had been removed from office.

“We wish to state that in respect of Kano, no such decision has been taken by the NWC. Although we are aware of issues in the Kano State chapter, efforts to find lasting solutions to the problem are on-going. In view of this, the status quo is maintained until the on-going process is completed,” the statement said.

It would be recalled that the feud between Ganduje and Kwankwaso led to the removal of Doguwa who was replaced by Abbas, a loyalist of the incumbent governor.

The North-West panel, led by Senator Mohammed Magoro, said his removal followed due process.

A correspondence jointly signed by the APC National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Muhammed Gwagwarwa and the embattled chairman of the party in Kano, Doguwa, to the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, dated January 27, 2017, rejected the decision of the APC National Vice Chairman, North-west, Alhaji Abdulkadir Inuwa, to appoint Abbas.