Given the path taken by Senator Shehu Sani since the inauguration of the present administration, it was predictable that that he would run into problem with his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). The question then is why did he allow the face-off between him and Governor El-Rufai to get to the level where he was suspended from the party. Our correspondent takes a look at the crisis in Kaduna state chapter of the APC. The Tudun Wada ward of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, on Monday, suspended the senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial zone, Shehu Sani from the APC.
Ward executive committee of the party, said it took the action to suspend Sani because the senator had made statements that allegedly violate the rules of engagement of the party, factionalised the party, and allegedly engaged in anti party activities by criticizing the policies of Governor Nasir ElRufai.
They said, “Hardly a week passes by his group will not be on air criticizing and challenging the enduring legacies of Mallam Nasir ElRufai, that his statement on national issues is not in conformity with that of the state government and government of Kaduna State.”
Though members of the ward executives of the party struggled to explain their action with little success, the suspension of Senator Sani was something that was predicted weeks before the hammer finally fell on him.
What puzzled many however was why the Senator chose to ignore the danger signals ahead and elected to continue his criticisms of policies and actions of the government.
Was Sani confident that given his position as a senator from the state that the APC could not afford to touch him or was it that he had a plan ‘B’ in the event the party decides to move in the manner it did last week.
Reactions from both the senator and his camp since the party took the decision on him points to the fact that he had anticipated the move.
Shortly after the letter was availed the press, it was an unruffled Sani who declined comment on the matter but chose that his lieutenants address the matter.
Even after the state chapter of the APC took up the matter and endorsed the action of the ward exco, Sani chose not to join issues with them but allowed his associates to take up the matter at that level.
Our correspondent learn that that senator continued with his legislative business in Abuja and did not, as expected, rush home to douse the fire.
Some of his critics say his posture is due to the fact that some powerful forces within the party are behind him and that any attempt to further stretch the mark of humiliation against the senator would elicit a reaction from that quarter.
While it is not clear who the forces backing the senator are, it is clear that the forces against the senator are not willing to engage him in a fight all alone and had to apply tact in dealing with the issue so as to gain the sympathy of powerful leaders of the party at the national level.
When the senator began his criticism of the El-rufai government almost immediately it was inaugurated, the governor and his team, were quick to react, but it turned out that they later changed tactic and began to ignore whatever was coming from the senator.
One of the aides of the governor told our correspondent that the action was deliberate in order not to ‘glorify’ Sani saying it was decided that the governor should rather continue working as a way of shaming his critics.
“When you begin to engage these people, you will only succeed in drawing attention to them and that is what they are looking for, so for us it was better to remain focused and continue our work,” he said.
But the explanation as it turned was merely side stepping the real issue.
While it chose to ignore Sani in comments against the policies of the el-Rufai government, leaders of the party in the state whose loyalty are to El-Rufai quickly woke from slumber when the senator made a comment on the anti corruption stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The manner it latched on to that particular comment gave the game away and exposed the fact that it was only waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Senator Sani was reported as saying that the anti -corruption crusade of the current administration has political undertone.
Few days after he was reported to have made the statement, elders of the APC in Kaduna State wrote a petition to the state chapter of the party complaining about it saying it exposes the senator as acting against the interest of the party.
Taking a cue from the elders, the state executive committee of the party quickly set up a disciplinary committee which invited the senator to defend himself against charges of making statements against leaders of the party.
Sani, as expected, refused to honor the invitation saying he does not recognize the officials of the party that set up the committee.
Sani through his legislative aide explained that as far as he is concerned, the APC in Kaduna does not have an exco. He said those inviting him to answer to allegations of anti-party are only stooges of the state governor acting out a script.
It wasn’t quite a week after that the suspension letter from the ward came leading to a whole lot of activities within the party.
The ward chapter of the party in the letter to the senator dated December 27, said the suspension is for a period of eleven months and that henceforth the senator is disengaged from partaking in or attending party activities in Kaduna State.
In a quick follow up, the Kaduna State chapter of the party quickly endorsed the action of the ward.
In a statement signed by the acting publicity secretary, Salisu Tanko Wusono, it said it was left with no option but to endorse the suspension in order to restore discipline to the party.
But barely 24 hours after that, another party member, Alhaji Danladi Wada; came out to rubbish the authenticity of the state exco claiming chairmanship of the party.
Wada in a statement said he contested for the office of the deputy state chairman and was duly elected and presented with a certificate of return in July 2014 but that rather than allow him function as deputy chairman, one Shuaibu Idris was brought in and ‘imposed on the party as deputy chairman.’
Wada insisted that since the state chairman of the party has resigned his position and has since assumed position as deputy governor of the state, he should have been made the acting chairman.
“This impunity must stop in APC Kaduna State and allow legitimate elected officials operate their statutory functions as state executives of the party,” he stated.
Political aide to Senator Sani; Mr. Suleiman Ahmed also fired back at the state exco of the party.
He said it was clear that those who suspended Sani are ignorant of the laws of the APC.
He said though it is clear from the letter that the people are out to stop the senator from voicing out his views about what he considers as the anti people policies of the ElRufai administration, that it will not stop him from expressing his views when he feels the policies are not for the good of the people of the state.
“They are toeing the line of the state secretariat of the party, so our reaction is that those that wrote this letter are ignorant of the party’ constitution and they are dancing to the tune of the state executive of the party and Governor Nasir ElRufai,” he said.
Quickly following that, elders of the party in the state who have sympathy for Sani asked the party to withdraw the suspension on the senator.
The elders in a statement said they are concerned over the deteriorating state of the party in Kaduna State and have decided to come out to save the party from further problems.
“The purported suspension of Senator Shehu Sani is one example of the result of the degeneration which is bound to occur as a result of the hijack of the remnants of our party by a clique that believes it owes its loyalty only to the Governor.
“The questionable legality of the suspension and the childish reasons given for it demands that responsible members of the party speak up and demand a stop to the embarrassing melodrama that is unfolding,” they said in the statement by 16 of the elders which included, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Mataimaki John Miyashi, Ambassador Sule Buba, Alhaji Kabir Umar, Alhaji Ibrahim Yaro and others.
Our correspondent learns that Sani who has disagreed with the suspension has decided not to rush to the court on the matter but explore means to settle the issue within the party.
At the bottom of the exchanges remains who will control the soul of the party ahead of 2019.
While those who feel left out from the scheme of things want to be compensated with party positions that are currently vacant, the state governor wants to maintain a structure that will be loyal to him.
Pundits say with the way things are going, the suspension issue would end up as one of the skirmishes within the party before the major crisis.
Since the inauguration of the APC administration in Kaduna State, it became clear that the party which won majority of the seats contested for, going by the conduct of its members was heading towards a major crisis.
The surprise element is that it is coming too early.
DAILY TRUST NIGERIA
No comments:
Post a Comment