Sokoto APC crisis: Two sets of executives emerge

A governor and his predecessor lead separate factions of the party

by Abdoulaye Kay

Barely 24 hours after the Governor Aliyu Wamakko-led All Progressives Congress, APC, issued a statement naming members of the party’s Sokoto State Interim Executive Committee, another set of interim executives has been named by a rival faction in the state.

A second APC faction led by ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa met and presented, Monday, its own interim executive committee.

A statement signed by the Secretary of the Bafarawa-led Committee, Lawal Faru, said members of the committee were drawn from the political parties that merged to form the APC, including the ANPP, CPC and the ACN.

“After due consultations with stakeholders of all our merging parties that include All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Sokoto state, His Excellency, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, APC leader has approved the constitution of the Sokoto state Interim Executive Committee of our great party as per the harmonization of our legacy parties are concern,” the statement read.

The Interim Executive Committee members approved by the Bafarawa faction include Abubakar Sanyinna (ANPP) as chairman; Lawal Faru, Secretary (CPC); Nasiru Kalanbaina (ACN), Treasurer; Yusuf Dingyadi (ANPP), Publicity Secretary; and Nasiru Asara (CPC), Organizing Secretary.

However, the National Interim Executive Committee, in a letter No. APC/NHDQ/GEN/24/013/82 dated January 7, 2014 and signed by Tijjani Tumsah, its Interim National Secretary, had approved Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s request to nominate members of the State Interim Committee to be headed by former Minister of Youth, Inuwa Abdulkadir.

“I write to acknowledge receipt of your Excellency’s nominees for Sokoto State Interim Executive Committee (IEC) with Barr. Inuwa Abdulkadir Esq as Chairman.

“I encourage your Excellency to consult and also select members to fill in the remaining Offices of Secretary, Treasurer, Organising Secretary, Publicity Secretary; taking into consideration the other merging parties,” the APC National Secretary said in the letter.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that based on the approval letter from the national secretariat of the APC, Mr. Wamakko named Musa Maitafsir (PDP), Tukur Alkali (PDP), Bello Goronyo (PDP), Ahmed Aliyu (PDP), Usman Danmadami (ANPP), Abbas Gandi (CPC), Sidi Aliyu (ACN) and Harande Mahe (DPP) as other executive members.

The APC factionalisation in Sokoto is reminiscent of what is happening in other states, particularly states where former governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, decamped to the APC.

Mr. Wamakko, as well as governors of Kano, Rivers, Kwara, and Adamawa joined the APC due to crisis in the Nigerian ruling party.