The cracks within the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, widened on Sunday as a few hours after the Chairman of the party in the state, Umar Haruna Doguwa, retracted his statement indicting Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of alleged indiscipline by sponsoring thugs to Ganduje town, the Working Committee maintained its ground, saying the former governor stands indicted.
The Kano APC chairman said he was under duress when he made the statement indicting Kwankwaso, claiming he neither wrote nor initiated it.
The former governor turned senator had last Wednesday visited Ganduje town to commiserate with his former deputy now incumbent governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, over the death of his mother.
The condolence visit, however, turned into a violent display by armed political thugs, forcing the Kano APC to consider setting up a disciplinary panel to sanction Kwankwaso.
The former governor, in a statement last Friday, distanced himself from the violent display by the armed thugs and accused the state governor of splitting the APC.
However, the committee at an emergency news briefing on Saturday night in Kano, exonerated itself from the counter-statement credited to Doguwa denouncing the party’s position on Senator Kwankwaso’s condolence visit.
The Secretary, Abbas Sani Abbas, who addressed reporters in reaction to the chairman’s statement, said the party was surprised about the action of Mr. Doguwa, which portrayed him as betraying the mandate given him by the APC Executive Committee.
He said: “We want to say that the chairman made the statement because of his selfish interest and that of his mentor. We, therefore, reaffirm the position of the earlier statement that we disassociate ourselves from what ex-Governor Kwankwaso, representing Kano Central, did by recruiting hoodlums, disrupting peace and propagating his presidential ambition.
“We want to let APC members know that we are resolute in abiding by the party’s constitution. The committee set up by the party will continue with its investigation and any person found guilty will be dealt with in accordance with the constitution.
“We urge members to disregard the unauthorised second statement by the chairman. They should await action by the executive.
“We remain loyal to the administration Governor Ganduje, the APC leader in the state”.
