Jigawa APC crisis: Rival group shuns peace meeting, lament governor’s arbitrariness

Efforts to resolve the crisis in the Jigawa State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) on Sunday suffered yet again another setback as a factional group boycotted a stakeholders meeting as they insisted that the state governor lacked the authority to convene the meeting.

The embattled chairperson, Habibu Sara, told reporters on Monday that “ordinarily he was supposed to have convened the meeting but the governor went ahead to do that despite the fact that I am the recognised party chairman from the national head office.”

The meeting was convened to address the internal crisis in the state’s chapter of the party ahead of the national convention of the party.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported in September how Mr Sara was removed following the party’s caucus meeting, which was held at the government house. The meeting was presided by the state’s governor, Muhammad Badaru.

In the meeting, Muhammad Umar, was installed by the governor as acting party chairperson and a committee set up to investigate alleged financial recklessness of the chairperson.

Months later, the APC officials in Jigawa loyal to the governor declined to comment on the outcome of the investigation alleging financial misappropriation. The governor on Sunday, after the meeting, also declined to comment to journalists.

Governor’s ‘arbitrariness’

The embattled chairperson, Mr Sara, said that he remains the substantive party chairman, saying the state governor has no constitutional right to convene the executive meeting of the party.

The official said based on the party’s constitution, he is the only person mandated to convene the executive meeting of the party, not the governor, which is why his group didn’t attend the meeting in the government house.

The latest meeting on Sunday, also held at the Government House, was presided over by the governor and attended by a major governorship aspirant, Danladi Sankara, among others federal lawmakers.

However, the senator representing Jigawa Central senatorial district, Sabo Nakudu, and his loyalists boycotted the event. Also, the self-proclaimed party leader, Farouk Aliyu, was conspicuously absent at the meeting.

Other top party members absent in the event were the former governor of the state, Ali Sa’ad, and a former deputy governor and now Federal Commissioner representing the state at the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, Ahmed Mahmoud.

The meeting did not last more than one hour and no communiqué was issued.

However, the acting chairman, Mr Muhammad, told reporters that the meeting discussed how to move the party forward and also to familiarise members with new appointees from the state at the federal level.

“We digested extensively on the burning issues affecting our party, only most of the issues are confidential, not meant for public consumption, nor made public,” the acting chairperson said.

Anybody fighting the governor can leave – chieftain

Also on Sunday, the party’s vice-chairperson, who is seen as being loyal to the governor, Ango Mallamadori, said anyone that is not satisfied with what the governor is doing can leave the party because they will never go against the wish of the governor.

“I want to assure you that whatever you say we should do in APC in Jigawa State, consider it done, anybody who wants to leave can leave and go away to his house to sleep. We are through with the person and we will leave him behind.

“If a boy is dreaming and wants to use the names of some people, be careful we will square it up with you if you don’t follow the governor,” the chieftain said while addressing the governor and others in Mallamadori local government area.