President Muhammadu Buhari has disowned a letter in circulation, which alleged that he authorised Gov. Nasir el-Rufai to “deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani.
This comes as his wife, Aisha, rubbished the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the growing impunity under its National Chairman, Adam’s Oshiomhole.
Meanwhile, one of Oshiomhole’s deputy, Senator Lawali Shuaibu, has openly disagreed with him and th National Working Committee (NWC) over its handling of the crisis in Zamfara State.
There are fears the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for submission of candidates for next year’s election may catch up with Zamfara State APC. The deadline is for midnight Sunday.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.
According to the presidential aide, the president is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member.
“The presidency wishes to distance President Muhammadu Buhari from a letter currently in circulation, which alleges that the President had authorised a governor or anyone else for that matter to deal with traitors and disloyal members of APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani.
“We wish to confirm that the president is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member.
“Given President Buhari’s record, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member.
“In the light of above, we would like to appeal to the general public, especially members of the press, to ignore false or unauthorised information intended to attribute to the president any action which is not in line with his character.’’
Gov. El-Rufai of Kaduna State had last week visited the Presidential Villa twice over political developments in his state.
El-Rufai, who vehemently opposed the decision of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to clear Sen. Shehu Sani as the sole candidate in the race for APC-Kaduna Central, said the fate of the senator “lies in the hands of the party delegates in the state”.
The national body of the APC on Sunday reiterated that Sani remains the party’s senatorial candidate for Kaduna Central.
The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena, confirmed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
The party’s stance means the senatorial primary conducted by the Kaduna APC chapter for Kaduna Central, along with other constituencies, on Saturday, was a futile exercise.
According to the result of the primary, Uba Sani, special adviser to El-Rufai won the nomination to contest the election for the central zone in February election.
Shehu Sani boycotted the election.
Aisha in a trending post on her Facebook page upbraided the APC leadership, in a move many believe is to show her anger over the manner her brother was treated in the Adamawa State gubernatorial primaries in which he was sidelined.
She wrote: “It is disheartening to note that some aspirants used their hard earned money to purchase nomination forms, got screened, cleared and campaigned vigorously yet found their names omitted on Election Day, these forms were bought at exorbitant prices.
“Many others contested and yet had their result delayed. Fully knowing that AUTOMATIC tickets have been given to other people.
“All Progressives Congress being a party whose cardinal principle is change and headed by a comrade/ activist whose main concern is for the common man, yet, such impunity could take place under its watch.
“Given this development one will not hesitate than DISSOCIATE from such unfairness, be neutral and speak for the voiceless.
“It is important for the populace to rise against impunity and for voters to demand from aspirants to be committed to the provision of basic amenities such as:
1. Potable drinking water
2. Basic health care ( Primary Health Care centers)
3. Education within conducive & appropriate learning environments.
“Let us vote wisely !!!!
LONG LIVE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA!!!!!!”
In the aftermath of the cancellation of the governorship and National Assembly primaries in Zamfara and the subsequent sacking of APC executive at the State and Local Government levels, as well as their banishment from subsequent elections slated for Saturday and Sunday, Lawali Shuaibu, the Deputy National Chairman, (North) disagreed stating that it was not true the executive bodies in the State had been dissolved.
He relied on a subsisting court order served on the leadership of the party.
The order directed the disagreeing parties in a petition challenging the legality of the process through which the state executives emerged to maintain the status quo and not to take any step that would render nugatory the subject of the litigation which is the position of the party before 5th of June 2018.
The party, he said, “can therefore not take any action except to ensure members of the executives do comply.”
The NWC in a statement, through the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, had cancelled the Zamfara primaries that set Governor Abdulaziz Yari against eight governorship aspirants, who accused him of seeking to hijack the exercise and installing candidates.
Yari took on Oshiomhole over the cancellation and labelled him a dictator.
His words: “Our issue is with the National Secretariat of APC where Adams Oshiomhole continue be a dictator to party members, he acts as a mini god.
“You know, there is ongoing issue regarding the APC governorship primaries in the state, where the national headquarters sent a committee to conduct the election.
“It was very unfortunate that the committee canceled the election on Wednesday.
“We heard that the National Working Committee had dissolved the APC executive in the state and also send the same committee to Zamfara to repeat the exercise.
“I want to call on the national headquarters of the party that we will not accept the decision and we are not satisfied with the committee, we don’t have confidence in that committee.
“I am warning members of that committee that they should never come to Zamfara, they should never put their legs in this state, and anything that happens to them, Adams Oshiomhole should be held responsible.
“We will continue with this decision until the national leadership of the party are ready to do justice.”