Ganduje: APC petitions IG, chieftain seeks peace talk with NNPP

The All Progressives Congress announced on Tuesday that it had petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to probe the purported suspension of its National Chairman, Dr Abdulahi Ganduje, orchestrated by some impostors allegedly affiliated to the New Nigeria People’s Party-led government in Kano State.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Purported suspension of APC National Chairman – a devious act of imposters, fake news.’

The executives of the Ganduje Ward APC in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State  had on Monday declared Ganduje suspended from the party.

The Legal Adviser of the ward, Halliru Gwanzo, who addressed journalists in Kano, said the APC ward leadership took the decision, given the bribery allegations hanging on Ganduje’s neck.

He cited the bribery charges filed against Ganduje by the Kano State government and his arraignment scheduled for Thursday.

The suspension was, however, overruled by the state leadership of the party, which also slammed a six-month suspension on the ward executives.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Morka,in the statement on Tuesday, said the party had it on good authority that Ganduje’s suspension by the APC ward was orchestrated by some impostors allegedly loyal to Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.

The APC described the Monday purported suspension as another trick by the Kano State government to persecute Ganduje.

Mouka said, “The purported suspension was the devious acts of a group of impersonators of ward officials out to cause mischief and create confusion in the otherwise peaceful Ganduje Ward chapter of our party.

“The perpetrators of this criminal act are not card-carrying members of the APC in the ward but individuals affiliated with senior officials and representatives of the New Nigeria People’s Party.

“This act procured by officials of the ruling NNPP in Kano is part of the despicable programme of political persecution launched by the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf against Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State. The purported suspension is downright criminal and of no effect whatsoever. The legitimate executive committee of the Ganduje Ward has since denounced the action and reaffirmed Dr Ganduje as a bona fide member of the party in the ward, and in good standing.

“The party has filed a petition with the Inspector General of Police, requesting an expedited investigation of this matter and that the perpetrators and their sponsors be brought to justice. “We urge our party faithful and the general public to disregard reports of the suspension of the national chairman who is and remains, the national chairman of our great party.”

Meanwhile, a former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the APC, Salihu Lukman, on Tuesday, called on President Bola Tinubu to revisit the political impasse between Ganduje and the national leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Lukman made the appeal in a statement on Tuesday, titled ‘Ganduje: Indefensibility of moral and political burden.’

He urged Tinubu to look beyond the $413,000 and N1.38bn bribery charges filed against Ganduje by the Kano State government.

Both Ganduje and Kwankwaso, two former Kano governors, were allies before they fell out a few years ago over political differences in the state.

Lukman insisted that the President and top APC stakeholders must act fast to broker peace between Ganduje and Kwankwaso if they hoped to retain their grip on Kano and, by extension, the entire North, even if it involved negotiating an alliance.

He said: “Being progressives requires honesty, which, given the current political reality, we must accept that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his NNPP have a stronger support base in Kano State. Noting that Kwankwaso was in our party up to 2018 and acknowledging that between 1999 and 2019, both worked together, we need to revisit issues surrounding their disagreement.

“On no account should APC leaders limit the engagement of issues surrounding all the political challenges facing us as a party to only the issue of bribery allegation against Dr Ganduje. If this means another round of negotiation for political alliance or a merger with Kwankwaso and NNPP, our leaders should proceed to act accordingly. President Tinubu and the APC must take full advantage of the current reality to renegotiate the support base of the APC.

“Without doubt, this situation presents an opportunity for President Tinubu to demonstrate his progressive and political dexterity. It is a low-hanging fruit, which, if properly managed, could also save the politics of Dr Ganduje.

“The hard truth is that, somehow, the politics of Kano State was mismanaged and, as it is, if we were unable to win the election in Kano State when we were in control of the Kano State government, it would be foolhardy to imagine otherwise.”