Indication suggests that all is not well within the ruling party in Kaduna State in view of the recent political developments in the state.
Barely two months after winning re-election, Governor Nasir El-Rufai is having a serious issue with his party, the the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state.
In a recent twist, the Kaduna State working committee of the APC, announced the suspension of the Governor, Nasir El Rufai for six months for his failure to respond to a query issued to him last week over allegations of anti party activities, The Guardian reports.
The Governor had earlier said he would not trade words with some of the party leaders who issued him a query saying that those behind it were political traders.
However, the APC State Working Committee under Chairmanship of Danladi Wada at the weekend said that the decision was made at a meeting “held in the APC Kaduna State Secretariat No. 11B, Sambo Road with members of the state caucus, members of the National Assembly, chairman and members of the state executive and working committees, stakeholders and other prominent members of the APC in attendance.”
The Spokesman of Governor El-Rufai, Samuel Aruwan who had earlier responded to the query, said that El-Rufai has vowed to send political traders into retirement. No one knows the next line of action Governor El-Rufai will take over the issue as uncertainty looms.
Recall that the APC in Lagos State had told Governor El-Rufai that Kaduna State is not Lagos State where he retired four godfathers from politics.
This came as an aftermath of what had happened earlier. El-Rufai, at the weekend, had lambasted Asiwaju Bola Tinubu over his dominance of the political structure in Lagos State, saying it was time to end godfatherism in the state just the way he ended it in Kaduna State, Daily Post reports.
In a bid to free Lagos from Tinubu’s strong hold, El-Rufai said, one of the best ways is to start the campaign now by embarking on a study to understand why five million out of the six million voters in Lagos State did not vote.
However, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos, Joe Igbokwe, while responding to Governor El-Rufai’s comment said that Lagos was not Kaduna where El-Rufai ended the dominance of godfathers. He also said anyone who wanted to achieve Tinubu’s status in Nigerian politics must work hard and do less talking.
In a press statement, Igbokwe added: “That was what happened. He was making reference to Asiwaju Tinubu. The person that threw up the question is Muiz Banire, and you know the relationship between Banire and Asiwaju. But Lagos is not Kaduna.
“They want to be like Asiwaju, they want to command respect, they want the world to accept them the way they have accepted Asiwaju, they want to get great followers like Asiwaju BAT, they want to be admired the way people admire Asiwaju, they want the people to love them the way they love Asiwaju.”
“They want to stand tall anywhere they go like Asiwaju, they want to attract attention like Asiwaju, they want to be celebrated and honored like Asiwaju, they want to be worshiped the way Asiwaju’s great followers worship him, they want to be lifted up the way God has lifted Asiwaju up, they want to be noticed like Asiwaju, they want to stand out like Asiwaju and they want to influence decisions at all levels like Asiwaju, etc.
“But in actions and deeds they are not like Asiwaju. In character and in tolerance they are not like Asiwaju. In commitment and hard work they are not like BAT. In grace and empathy, they are not like BAT. In temperament and love for humanity, they are not like Asiwaju. They cannot surrender their home to the people the way BAT has been doing. They cannot fight for others the way BAT does.
“They cannot deny themselves freedom for the sake of others the way BAT does. They cannot stand for the ordinary people the way Asiwaju does. They cannot be trusted the way we trust BAT. They cannot give the way BAT does. They cannot sacrifice what BAT has sacrificed for humanity for close to 40 years. They cannot live for others the way the way Asiwaju has done for years. I can go on and on but he who must lead others must first lead himself.”
Both Governor El-Rufai and Tinubu are top members of the ruling APC.
While El-Rufai is the Governor of Kaduna State, Tinubu is the National Leader of the APC and Co-Chaired President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Campaign Council with the President during the 2019 Presidential Election which APC won. It is believed that the party will find a way to settle the matter and not allow it to degenerate.
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