THERE was more confusion at the weekend over the suspension of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Umar Ganduje by his ward in Kano State.
While a new ward executives slammed a fresh suspension order on him for alleged anti-party activities that have polarised the party, another group of party executives disowned the former accusing them of being used by the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state.
Secretary of Ganduje ward, Ja’afar Adamu who spoke on behalf of 11 other executive members of the new one, further alleged that the suspension was necessitated by the allegation of anti-party activities by Ganduje which led to division and failure of the party during the 2023 elections.
Adamu reiterated that the real Ganduje ward leaders would not hesitate to institute a legal action against the two factions that earlier addressed the media claiming to be ward excos.
However, the new group from Ganduje ward, Dawakin Tofa local government area of the state claimed to be the legitimate ward excos, legally and validly elected on July 31, 2021.
The new group leader, Alhaji Adamu, who is Ganduje’s nephew, accused Ganduje of igniting a conflict of interest that led to the two factional excos in the ward that he claimed had brought the party to disrepute.
He also alleged that the embattled APC national chairman had not been paying his statutory party dues.
Adamu claimed: ”We are the authentic executives of Ganduje ward and we have passed a vote of no confidence and imposed a new suspension on Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for series of reasons.
“Firstly, we have suspended Dr Ganduje’s membership for creating internal conflict among party members at the ward level.
“Another major reason why the authentic executives resolved to suspend Ganduje is the issue of anti-party activities he generated during the 2023 elections, which resulted to the party’s failure in the state.”
However, a statement signed by the chairman and secretary of Ganduje ward in Dawakin Tofa local government of Kano state, Ahmed Muhammed Ganduje and Usaini Jibrin respectively, held that those behind the purported suspension had been induced by NNPP with the aim of denting Ganduje’s name.
The executive members called on the national headquarters of the APC and security agencies to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of members of the other group for alleged impersonation and attempt to cause disaffection in the party.
The statement read: “As the authentic executive members, no new election was conducted by the state or national body of the APC to herald a fresh leadership.”
The statement alleged that the leader of those that announced Ganduje’s suspension was an NNPP member, who contested but lost the councillorship election in Ganduje ward.
“To the best of our knowledge, as executive members of Ganduje ward of the APC, there was no new election of new leadership of our party.
“We remain the same executive of the ward,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, a political analyst, Alhaji Saminu Abubakar, has dismissed the purported suspension of the APC national chairman, alleging that it was a ploy to confuse both the populace and the courts.
Abubakar stated: “This second suspension is suspicious as much as the first one.
“I suspect that Ganduje’s first suspension was allegedly masterminded by Kano State government under Abba Kabir Yusuf,
“This second suspension may have been planned by Ganduje and his aides as a strategy to counter, discredit and disparage the first group.
“My understanding is that when they go to court, Ganduje will use this double suspension as point to create doubt in the leadership of the party in his ward.
“The question of which executive is authentic will now be the issue to resolve first, not the suspension.”
“I also suspect that the second suspension will be lifted after the purported exco has been resolved to be the genuine one.
“I will advise citizens of Kano State not to take all these people seriously.
“They are only trying to play with our intelligence.”
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