APC leadership split over Kwankwaso, Ganduje dispute

The chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kano State, Umar Doguwa, has made a u-turn by disowning the statements he made on Thursday threatening former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso with suspension for organising a “violent rally”.

Mr. Doguwa had while addressing journalists on Thursday in Kano said Mr. Kwankwaso faces suspension from the party for sponsoring a violent rally while paying a condolence visit to the governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, over the death of his mother.

He said Mr. Kwankwaso had exhibited “acts of indiscipline which should not be allowed to go unpunished”.

He also said the party’s leadership and elders had approved the constitution of a disciplinary committee to penalise Mr. Kwankwaso.

According to him, the condolence visit was deliberately turned to a violent rally to cause mayhem in the state, abuse the governor and President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, while addressing journalists on Saturday, the party chairman said he was forced by Mr. Ganduje to make the statements he made against Mr. Kwankwaso.

He told reporters at the Press Centre in Kano that the Executive Arm of Government under Mr. Ganduje “purely confused a social event with Politics because the visit of Kwankwaso was politicized out proportion”.

He said he was withdrawing his Thursday statement threatening to suspend the former governor.

” I hereby withdraw the statement and disassociate myself from it,” he said, adding that the comments were ” a product of warped and mischievous elements in the government whose position and antics are to cause confusion and disunity among the rank and file of our party.”

Kwankwaso must be pushed

However, hours after Mr. Doguwa addressed journalists, the state secretary of the APC in Kano, Abbas Sani, also called a press conference where he insisted that Mr. Kwankwaso must be punished for what happened at Ganduje town during the condolence visit.

Mr. Sani said the u-turn by Mr. Doguwa was “unfortunate” and would be investigated.

“The APC state working committee disassociate itself from the Chairman’s rather sad twisted position and the action is nothing but a betrayal of trust shouldered on him”.

“The Chairman’s remarks are his personal opinion and that of his mentor which will not change the earlier position of investigating the action of Kwankwaso and bringing him to book”.

Mr. Sani reaffirmed his total loyalty and that of the APC working committee to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and the party’s constitution.

The Secretary urged APC members in Kano to disregard the statement made by Mr. Doguwa saying they are “baseless and unfounded”.

Mr. Kwankwaso had in a reaction to the suspension threat accused his successor, Mr. Ganduje, of plotting to split the APC in Kano state.

In a statement by his aide, Yunusa Dangwani, on Friday, Mr. Kwankwaso denied being behind any “violent rally” in Ganduje town.

“It is therefore appalling and rather unfortunate that the good gesture of Sen. Kwankwaso has been mischievously interpreted wrongly.

“It is also disheartening that few hours after the death of our state Deputy Chairman Alhaji Isa Ali Danmaraya, the Government was busy coercing and misleading some party leadership into addressing a press conference that will only culminate in splitting the APC in Kano,” the statement said.