Marafa explains reason behind observed crises that rocked APC States’ congresses
More facts have emerged on why the chequered image displayed during Ward Congresses of the All Progressive Congress (APC) two weeks ago, repeated self weekend during the Local Government Congresses.
Though weekend congresses in parts of the country did not have any report of killings, at least half a dozen states held parallel congresses which resulted in maintaining dual LG Excos with two factional state chairmen each.
Most prominently in the South West, where two states, Lagos and Oyo produced four factional chairmen, that is two apiece.
Though peaceful, the parallel Lagos State congresses, which held amid tight security, were monitored by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the State Congress Committee from the APC National Headquarters, Abuja, headed by Senator Uche Ekwunife.
The congresses took place at the party’s secretariat, along Acme Road, Ogba, and at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja. The Right to Chose Coalition, which comprise the new Mandate Group, Justice Dorum, and Broom United Movement (BUM) met at the latter venue.
Whereas some political pundits finger the party’s lack of cohesion, passion for imposition of candidates, brazen impunity and lack of team spirit, the Senator representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Kabiru Marafa, in an interview weekend, averred that “After looking at the whole congresses, the way it started, what the party did and everything, to me, there is a massive conspiracy against the party and against the leader of the party – I mean the President of the country”.
He argued that “A party is organising a congress, if you look at the first scenario, some people just came up with the idea of one-year tenure extension for members of the National Working Committee. The President was advised that the extension was illegal and that it would portend a serious problem to the success of the party.
“The President stood his ground and said we should go for elective congresses or consensus where possible. The party came up with guidelines on how these congresses should be conducted, but the same party that produced these guidelines was the first to break the rules. In one of the clauses in the guidelines, they said forms should be filled and returned within 24 hours, but the NWC did not even meet with the congress committees until Thursday evening. “The committees started going to their stations (states) on Friday. The party said if you are desirous of contesting any position, pay your monies into these accounts. They gave out seven accounts with an instruction that certain amount should be paid in order to collect forms which should be returned latest 12 hours before the election (congress). Now, they did two things: they did not give the committees the forms to go to the states with and there was no clear 24 hours to collect the form, fill it and return it.
Senator Marafa further disclosed that “The whole thing was like a kind of sabotage, so that this thing will become rancorous and there will be parallel congresses but a set of executive will be established for each state. The whole thing comes to just one thing: sabotage”.
On why he held parallel congresses in Zamfara too, the lawmaker made it clear that “We have to hold parallel congresses. We now have two sets of executives, one by the state government and one by me”.
“I followed due process from the beginning up till where we are now but the state government did not because they have the security apparatus at their disposal and they use it.
On whether he can defend the officials that emerged from his side of the divide, he said “I have submitted to the appeal committee full documentation of everything. Now, they will rule. The final arbiter is the NWC. The NWC members are also not too confident. There are some people among them that are desirous of scuttling the processes, thereby endangering the electoral success of the APC. They may rule against me, for instance. One thing I am sure of is that the court will rule in my favour”.
In Abia State, the two existing factions in the Abia State chapter of the party went their separate ways to produce state executives at different venues in Umuahia.
The faction chaired by Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe, which has Chief Ikechi Emenike as its leader, held its congress at the Eziama Mgbaja Ossa Hall in Umuahia North Local Council and returned Ndukwe as chairman, while the other faction, at Umuahia Township Stadium, returned the Donatus Nwankpa-led executives.A two-man congress committee led by Hajia Rabi Sulu Gambari and Alhaji Graba Dani, conducted the Ndukwe faction’s exercise, while Senator Jonathan Zwingina conducted the Nwankpa group’s congress.
Business Hilights South East Bureau chief gathered that both factions claimed to have duly conducted and held their congresses in accordance with the party’s rules and guidelines, claiming that any other congress conducted by a rival faction is null and void, including the emergent parallel executives.
Also in Adamawa, APC congress went two ways leading to the emergence of factional chairmen. Both Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow’s faction and the President Muhammadu Buhari camp, headed by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. David Babachir Lawal, organised peaceful parallel state congresses.
Two serving senators, Abdulazil Nyako and Abubakar Mo-Allah, alongside former senators and former governor Murtala Nyako’s supporters participated in the Lawal faction’s congress and elected Mr. Dimas Ezra, from Adamawa Central zone as chairman.At the Governor Bindow congress, the acting chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bilal, was returned, alongside other former officials, apart from the secretary, who was replaced by former state lawmaker, Mr. Wafarninyi Theman, who defected recently from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Chairman of the Buhari supporters’ congress committee and former Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Hassan Turaki, said “We have a Muslim as governor who is from the northern zone. So, to balance the power allocation in the state, the party chairman should be a Christian and from another zone, so that both Christians and Muslims in the state will have equal representation in the party,” he stated.
