Senator Marafa remains suspended, Zamfara APC faction insists

A major faction of the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissociated itself from its former senator, Kabiru Marafa, who called for the resignation of the APC national committee chairman, Mala Buni.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Zamfara ex-lawmaker dismissed Mr Buni’s claim to have resolved the crisis rocking the party in the state.

The discord between Mr Marafa and his arch-rival, the former governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari, has factionalised the state’s chapter of the APC since the run-up to its last governorship election.

The party lost all the seats won in 2019 to the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a legal battle after the election.

Highlighting his achievements since he was named to chair the national caretaker committee after the dissolution of Adams Oshiomhole-led party’s executives, Mr Buni said he has restored peace to Zamfara warring factions, a statement Mr Marafa recently condemned as false and “ungodly claim.”

“With this statement, the committee has deflated the trust and confidence reposed in it, by misleading the public with the claim that it has resolved the crises in the states mentioned. The committee has lost its integrity and its members should therefore resign or be sacked.

“This is nothing but a wicked lie. I pray that the committee is not on a mission to destroy the party completely,” PREMIUM TIMES reported the ex-lawmaker to have said.

In reaction to Mr Marafa’s call for the resignation of the APC national caretaker chairperson, the Zamfara State faction of the party opposed to him said the former lawmaker ceased to be a member of the party in 2019 and has, therefore, lost the constitutional right to make such demand.

The party called on the Mr Buni-led caretaker committee to ratify Mr Marafa’s suspension, as decided by the state chapter of the party.

“We are calling on the national caretaker committee of the party to ratify his suspension.

“Therefore, members of the public should not regard him as a member of the APC.

“We don’t consider Marafa as our member because he is used by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to disrupt peace and stability in the party,” the Zamfara APC chairperson, Lawal Liman, said in a statement issued on Monday and shared by the national headquarters of the party.