KANO—Fresh crisis has hit the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC in Kano State, the Majority Leader and member representing Tudun Wada/Doguwa Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, has called on Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to take control of the party affairs to prevent it from losing the forthcoming general elections in the state.
Doguwa made the call while addressing newsmen to clear the air on insinuation of his alleged attack on the party’s governorship running mate, Murtala Sule Garo in the state.
According to him, “The danger we have is we have some people around him (Ganduje), if care is not taken, if Ganduje does not take full charge of the party affairs, then the story of the APC in the forthcoming election could be very sad. We are facing an unprecedented opposition. The challenge in Kano about the opposition is monumental.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to quickly take over the affairs of the party and handle our campaign programme directly. If the governor leaves the business of the party in hands of people who may not be humble, then at the end, they will kill the party.”
On reported attack on the party’s governorship running mate, he said “I went for a condolence somewhere and it was on my way back that I thought of seeing our party chairman to discuss something important pertaining my local government and Federal Constituency. On arrival at the Deputy Governor’s residence in Bompai, I met them (Deputy Governor, APC Chairman, APC Secretary, Speaker and the party’s governorship running mate) in a meeting. I looked around and saw that it was stakeholders, movers and shakers of the party in the state, and I jokingly said this is a special meeting but I am not here for the meeting. I asked why a representation of the National Assembly, NASS caucus is not in the meeting because I believe we are also stakeholders. I think I can respectfully asked this question.
“Immediately, Garo erupted and said must you be invited? This actually provoked me. By my standing in the political space of this country, I am a member of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party where only I and the State Governor are members. I am also a member of the National caucus of the party at the top most echelon and in that platform it is the President that presides over the national caucus of the party.
These two bodies are constitutional bodies of the party. Above all, I am also a member of the tripartite committee formed by Mr. President that is being chaired by the Vice President. These are all institutional components of the administration of our party APC. And he (Garo) went ahead to abuse me. He tried to grab my shirt. Then I also lost control and replied his abuses. But I didn’t attack him or use injurious material to injure him. There was a cup of tea on the table while he was shaking the table, the tea splashed on the floor. And while he was trying to grab me, he slipped and fell on the floor and the broken cup injured him. But the news making round is as if I used the cup to injure him. I did not injure him. I did not fight him but I exchanged unpleasant words with him.
“I have also seen in the media that I complained that they are holding meeting to share money and I was not invited. I am not a money monger; I came from a background of ideology based politics.
He claimed that during the visit of the party Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the party’s governorship running mate and his team allegedly destroyed his “billboards on strategic location of the state to misrepresent me, denigrate me and to undermine my political sagacity and integrity before the visiting former Lagos State Governor and party national leader.
“Like any other politician, I also sponsored some billboards which are ceremonial for me to welcome the party Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.”
story of the APC in the forthcoming election can be very sad,” Doguwa however stated.
But some groups under the platform of Groups For Democracy, in a letter to Governor Ganduje urging him to call Doguwa, to order, as his (Doguwa) political behaviours are allegedly becoming something else.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abba Anwar said the letter reads, “His Excellency should kindly call this man to order, else he will ditch the honourable position attached to his representation. And that could not be good for the party in his constituency, Tudunwada and Doguwa.
“Your Excellency Sir this is not the type of person we need as a Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the next coming Assembly.”
They also worried that, “What transpired at the Deputy Governor’s residence, started by Hon Doguwa is nothing but disrespectful to our Governor’s choice of gubernatorial candidate and his running mate.”
While urging the governor to kindly call Doguwa to order, the amalgamation of groups requested the governor, to beg, on their (groups) behalf, the Deputy Governor, who is the gubernatorial candidate, his running mate and other dignitaries who were present at the Deputy Governor’s residence when Doguwa did what he did, to kindly forgive the situation.
“Not only at Deputy Governor’s residence, Doguwa did other things that are unbecoming of a political leader in some other places, recently and sometimes in the past.
“Must Doguwa go to a meeting he was not hitherto invited at the Deputy Governor’s residence and wrecked havoc?” the letter reads.
(VANGUARD)
