•Reverse alleged suspension of national leader
•Group demands arrest of moles in party
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
Alleged plot to get rid of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, using his ward executive members, might have crashed as both the state and ward executives had denied involvement in his alleged suspension.
Although the state leadership of the party had overruled the alleged suspension of Ganduje by the ward executives and even suspended those involved, a group, the Progressives Foundational Movement (PFM), has called for the arrest of Dawakin Tofa Local Government executives for their action.
But in a counter reaction, the party leaders at the local government level thwarted the suspension and described it as null and void.
Earlier, at a press conference, the legal adviser of the ward Haladu Gwanjo, Ganduje’s ward, accused the former governor of gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds during his administration in Kano.
He explained that they decided to suspend Ganduje from the party due to the allegations against him by Kano state Government on bribery, and suspension, whose case started in court yesterday, April 15.
According to him, leaders at the ward level resolved to suspend Ganduje after a vote of no confidence passed on him, following his failure to clear his name from a wide range of allegation of corruption particularly the widely celebrated dollar video.
However, the Kano APC chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, yesterday, said the State Working Committee of the party deemed it necessary to adopt the suspension of the ward leaders for working in tandem with the opposition to suspend Ganduje from the party.
He said the party leaders in the council, had taken a drastic measures against the ward leaders for suspending Ganduje.
The party said they have sanctioned them for six months and a special investigations panel has been set up to verified several allegations against them.
Also, the APC Chairman in Dawakin Tofa council, Inusa Suleiman Dawanau, told Newsmen that those behind Ganduje’s suspension were cut in anti-party activities in recorded videos holding series of meetings with the opposition.
He said the leadership of the Dawakin Tofa council, has sanctioned the ward leaders for six months for engaging in anti-party activities and hobnobbing with the opposition party in the state.
Adopting the suspension of the Wards leaders, the state chairman confirmed the adoption of the suspension of Ganduje ward leaders and setting a committee to investigate their anti-party activities.
“We have evidence of meetings between the State Government officials and those that suspended the National Chairman, and state working committee, has agreed to sanctioned them for six months and they stand for now suspended,” he said.
At the same time, the twenty-seven party leaders of Ganduje ward, yesterday, stormed the state headquarters of APC and dissociated themselves with the purported suspension of Ganduje.
The ward chairman, Ahmad Muhammad Ganduje, dismissed the claim, saying, it was concocted and impersonated.
Speaking at an emergency press briefing, he exonerated themselves from the claim and also declared that they had identified the culprits and were going to take legal action against them for impersonation and defamation of character.
“The attention of the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee Members and that of Dawakin Tofa Local Government has been drawn to a purported suspension of the National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, by unfortunately, non-APC members in the Ward.
“Those who addressed the press conference were sponsored by the NNPP state government, and from the record of the party at the Ward, Local Government and State, are not card- carrying members of the APC.
“The purported suspension was null and void, and would have no any effect on the National Chairman.
“The Ward and Local Government Executives, having identified the persons involved in this unfortunate situation, have already prepared to charge them to court for impersonation and calculated attempt to embarrass and dent the image of the Party and that of the National Chairman,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Progressives Foundational Movement (PFM), in a statement by its Chairman, Emmanuel Aribigbe, described the ward executives as moles planted in APC by the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).
The group maintained that Ganduje has not committed any offence that should warrant suspension by the ward executive.
“We can authoritatively report that the press conference, which took place in Kano and not at the ward were held by known members of the NNPP. The pertinent question is, how many ward executive officers were at the conference?
“These characters are known supporters of Engr Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is an arch rival of our able National Chairman. We, however, called on the security agencies to quickly order the arrest of the faces at the press conference and properly investigate their sponsors.
“Our National Chairman has not committed any offence that should warrant suspension by the ward executive. We also call on all our members, general public and most especially the supporters of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje all over the world to be calm and ignore the failed coup by some enemies of democracy,” the group stated.
