Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kabir Marafa, has said he wouldn’t mind if his party, the All Peoples Congress (APC), loses in his home state, Zamfara, in the forthcoming general election.
Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, however gave an assurance that President Muhammadu Buhari will win the February 16 presidential poll in the state.
The Senator, who addressed journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday emphasised that “I don’t give a damn if the APC loses in Zamfara State; after all, the crisis that we are in today started with APC itself.’’
He said that the crisis rocking the party in the state led to it not fielding candidates for the coming election.
Commenting on his loyalty to the party, Marafa declared. “There is limit to loyalty as my loyalty first and foremost is to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, because we must have Nigeria before we can have the Senate.
“So, my loyalty is first to my God and to my people. APC is not a religion. So, if APC decides that the worst APC candidate is better than the best other candidates from anywhere, I will respect them because they are in politics to field candidates to win elections. But that cannot be true to me. So, I would go for the best for my people”.
While emphasising that President Buhari will win in the state, he stated that the president will stand by the truth “as he is pained by what is happening in the state and would want to see a change of leadership in Zamfara State.
Marafa added, “I have not spoken with him on the issue; but I believe that he will share the same view with me that it would be better to have a better person from another party (as governor in Zamfara) than to have a bad person from APC just because you want APC to win.’’ The Senator accused the state governor, Abdulazeez Yari, of going around whipping sentiments “that INEC should not accept the court judgment delivered in my favour because APC would lose Zamfara if the party did not present candidates for the election.”
“Of what benefit is a APC governor that will allow all these killings and corruption in Zamfara to continue?” he queried.
According to him, “There is a massive gang-up against some of us who stood by the party during the Eighth Senate leadership crisis. Senator (names withheld) did the ground work to ensure that Ahmad Lawan lost the senate presidency seat.
“Today, he is at the front of those fuelling the crisis in Zamfara just because he is a contractor there. He and his co-travellers – the body of former governors – in the senate are using their cronies and kinsmen in government to ensure that our people are enslaved.”
