Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Crisis is currently brewing in the North-west zonal chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai and Vice Chairman of the party, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir are said to be having serious misunderstanding.
Addressing a news conference friday in Abuja, Abdul-Kadir, alleged that the Kaduna governor was behind an ochestrated campaign against him.
The politician, who was responding to the allegations raised against him by the zonal Woman Leader, Hajia Aishat Kaita that he embezzled campaign funds, alleged that Governor El-rufai had threatened to beat him up.
The zonal chairman also accused the former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of colluding with the Kaduna state governor in an attempt to pull him down at all cost
He said: “A week before she issued the press statement, the Media Assistant to Mallam Nasir El-rufai, the governor of Kaduna state had said that the duo of Samuel Aruwan and Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed to one of their colleagues in the media who reliable informed me that Mallam El-rufai intended to take on me over the APC crisis in Kaduna state.
“The media Assistant further disclosed that everything will be done to ensure that I am pull down, and this they intended to achieve by teaming up with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso the former governor of Kano state. According to them, Senator Kwankwaso too is aggrieved by the party’s decision in respect of the chairmanship position in Kano state.
“However, this did not surprise me because of the previous encounters I had with their principal (Mallam Nasir El-Rufai) and his threat and outbursts.”
On the crisis rocking the party in Kaduna state, the zonal chairman said that all efforts to reconcile warring parties have failed due to non-cooperative stance of Governor El-rufai.
“On several occasions, I had meetings with him (El-Rufai) where as the leader of the party in the zone made passionate appeal for him to take leadership and drive a process that harmonise, reconcile and solidify the party in the state.
“One of such occasions, the appeal I made was in the presence of other governors from the zone in his office but his reaction was volatile and he threatened to beat me up and prevent me from coming into Kaduna.
“I kept my calm as a leader, considering the volatility of Kaduna and the attendant threat it poses viz-a-viz the tremendous goodwill and support the part is enjoying in Kaduna state.”
On the allegation of embarrassment, Abdul-Kadir said: “I wish to state here that the only funds that were disbursed to the zone were done through the party account which was opened and operated at the instance of the party’s National Secretariat.”
He explained that from 2015 up till date he had been spending his personal money to maintain the zonal office and the party vehicle.
