Kambai: Undemocratic Elements Forced Us Out of PDP

A member of the Kaduna state House of Assembly representing ZangonKataf, Hon Samuel Kambai, was among prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kaduna state. He spoke to John Shiklam on the circumstances that led to their defection and why the APC was the preferred party to embrace.

You are among many members of the  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). What is the problem with the PDP?

The PDP was becoming undemocratic and we were frustrated out of the party. Congresses in our Local Government Area – Zangon- Kataf – were characterised by manipulation and other undemocratic tendencies. We were the ones funding the party because it is not in power. We tried to make the party grow in our various wards, but some undemocratic elements were undermining our efforts. They were doing everything to push us out of the party.

In our Kaduna South senatorial zone, the congresses were conducted in a very ridiculous and fraudulent manner to favour the political interests of some politicians.

All stakeholders came together to ensure that everything was done in accordance with democratic norms,  only for the process to be scuttled by the former state chairman of the party, Mr. Felix Hyet, Senator Sunday Katung and Francis Sani, former Chairman of ZangonKataf. They destroyed the rotational arrangement we had for selfish political interests. 

Before the election, all the wards in ZangonKataf met and brought the list of party delegates, only for five of the wards to say they did not agree with the list.

We wrote a petition to the state secretariat of the party, and the petition committee looked into the matter and gave its advice.

Along the line, the chairman of the committee resigned because of lack of fairness.

We took our cry to the National Secretariat of the party. They asked Senator Ahmed Makarfi, former governor of Kaduna, whether he was aware of the problem in ZangonKataf LGA and he confirmed that he was aware of the problem. The National Secretariat advised that since there was a problem, the swearing in of elected party excos in ZangonKataf should be put on hold until the issues are addressed.

Shortly after this, the National Secretariat of the party informed us that it had been confirmed that congress elections were held in ZangonKataf. The National Secretariat was  misinformed. In my ward, thugs were used to disrupt the congresses.

Another reconciliation committee was set up to resolve the issues. Unfortunately, the secretary of the committee was a loyalist of Senator Katung.

Let me tell you, one of the reasons why  we rejected the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Southern Kaduna was because of the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

He had no relationship with our people.

Under his administration, our people suffered so much. There were persistent attacks and killings by bandits who displaced many communities, but El-Rufai never showed compassion or identified with us.

He never spoke good about our people. When Governor Uba Sani came into office, we saw that his approach was quite different, a far departure from the El-Rufai’s sectional administration.

Sani embraced our people and he initiated  development projects in Southern Kaduna.

President Bola Tinubu also carried our people along, giving them appointments. Because of this, our  people  embraced the APC.

When I came into office, I told  the governor  that there was no any physical project in our area during the El-Rufai administration and he assured  us that he will initiate projects in Southern Kaduna. Less than three weeks after my discussion with him, he came to flag off  some projects in my area.

He flagged off the construction of one of the biggest skills acquisition centres in the state. There are so many projects he has initiated in my area.

Governor Sani loves our people, that’s why we are going along with him because of the crisis in the PDP.

There are allegations that in your constituencies, there is an arrangement that your positions would be moved to another ward, meaning you cannot run for a second term. Is that why you defected to the APC to be able to run for a second term?

There’s no such arrangement for lawmakers.  We have three ethnic groups in my area. We have Ikulu, Atyap, and Hausa/Fulani. I was among the  people who insisted that the vice chairmanship position should go to Hausa/Fulani because they have never held any office in PDP.

I also insisted that our Ikulu brothers must produce the Chairman of ZangonKataf LGA, only for Senator Sunday Katung group to insist that the incumbent chairman should go for a second term.

When the APC gave Ikulu the chairmannship ticket, we went out of our way to support them. All our big shots, including Dr. John Ayuba, the former GMD of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu and former minister of environment and member of PDP board of trustees, MrsLaurenciaMallam, among others, all agreed that the Ikulu people should produce the council  chairman.

Senator Karung, however, insisted that the former chairman should be allowed for a second term. We refused because they have over nine positions in their six wards. In the other five wards, I am the only one who is holding a position. I am one of those who advocated that zoning should remain. That is why I went out of my way to support Ikulu even in APC because that is where the chairman of ZangonKataf was supposed to come from.

Former Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal while condemning those of you who defected from the PDP to APC, said you are looking for “stomach infrastructure” and that no sane person can join a party that has destroyed the country and made Nigerians poor. What is your take on this?

 As far as I am concerned, Tambuwal was a member of the APC before he defected to the PDP.  So it means he is one of the destroyers of the country if he is talking like this. Former Vice President AtikuAbubakar supported Buhari to be president, including Nasir El-Rufai, who is now following Abubakar.

We know El-Rufai did not govern Kaduna well.

In the assembly here, there are other things about El-Rufai that if we bring out to the public, many Nigerians will be shocked.

Time shall come when we shall bring these things to the public domain for the world to know who El-Rufai is.

You mean the house of assembly has  some more issues  against the former governor ?

There are more things against him that the House didn’t make public and he is just making noise everywhere and we are just listening to him.

Southern Kaduna had been the stronghold of the PDP since 1999. Some people are saying that those of you who defected are mere  paper weight – that you don’t command any influence. How do you view this?

A – We shall see. Time shall tell. I just told you that Southern Kaduna rejected the APC because of how El-Rufai treated our people.

He brought the ideology of Muslim-Muslim ticket because of his hatred for our people.

This kind of person who has no sense of fairness, justice, and inclusiveness and does not believe that God also created us is not supposed to be in power.

Anyone who believes that God is the maker of heaven and earth should know that God created all of us. There should be no religious and tribal sentiments when you are leading people.

Do you think that the APC will defeat the PDP in Southern Kaduna in 2027?

A – I am assuring that with  Governor Sani’s style of leadership in Kaduna state, particularly with his policy of inclusiveness, the APC will win Southern Kaduna overwhelmingly in 2027. Uba Sani means well for our people. Those who said we are paper weights, time shall tell.