From Paul Orude, Bauchi
A faction of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State, which emerged in the recent crisis-ridden congress of the party in the state, has advised the National Chairman of the party, Mallam Mala Buni not to condone imposition of candidates in the party.
Opposing factions loyal to former Speaker Yakubu Dogara and minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu have been at loger heads following allegations of imposition of party officials.
With tension boiling in the APC in the state, one of the factions has openly warned Buni, who is the governor of Yobe State and National Chairman of the party to perish the idea of entertaining imposition of candidates by powerful Abuja politicians.
Addressing journalists on Sunday at the NUJ Secretariat in Bauchi, Chairman of the stakeholders Committee from Bauchi South Senatorial District, Honourable Adamu S. Noma, the faction appealed to the national leadership of the party to recognise Hon Sanusi Aliyu Kunde, who it claimed was unanimously endorsed by the stakeholders from the state.
Noma said: “Following the decision taken by the Bauchi State Critical stakeholders in a meeting in Abuja on October 14, 2021 at Plot 17, Euphrates Crescent Miatama Abuja, that stakeholders from Bauchi Central Senatorial district should come and produce the next Chairman of the party as a result of failure to reach a consensus in Abuja
“The stakeholders held a meeting on October 16, 2021 with three aspirants for the position of state Chairman of the party namely Honourable Muhammad Musa Bayero, Hon Ali Ibrahim Dogarai and Dr Auwal Muhammed step down for Hon Sanusi Aliyu Kunde
“As a result of stakeholders’ pacification and the subsequent step down of other aspirants, stakeholders have unanimously endowed Hon Sanusi Aliyu Kunde as the next Chairman of the APC”
Noma said that Kunde was the choice of the APC in the state saying the calim that the seven member committee headed by Jibriln Sam never conducted any congress nor returned elected Babayo Aliyu Misau as Chairman as it is claiming
He alleged that the so called congress that returned Misau as Chairman was done in Abuja and was abnormal.
“We decided the congress must be held in Bauchi. We fixed October 16, and waited up to five in the evening and no officials came. We went to the office of the party that the congress and informed them that there was no delegate that participated.
“Yesterday (October, 16) being the day of the congress, we deiced to conduct our own congress. The APC in Bauchi State has long been tempered with so we decided to conduct ours at Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi”
The alleged that member of the People’s Democratic Party have infiltrated the APC in the state and assured that the new leadership in the state led by Kunde would bring sanity to the party.
“That is why we have taken the mantle of leadership from the other side. This is why we have started afresh. We decided to make a parallel election to show the national that we are capable of holding election. There are friends of the PDP among us.
“We have given all our national lawmakers attention but they are not responding. The leadership of the party has been a challenged for long in the state. We want to make it 100 percent APC and so we call on our members to be loyal. That is why we are having a careful leadership”
He expressed confidence that the current crisis would not affect the fortunes of the party.
“Whatever will be the outcome will favour us and will favour the people of Bauchi State,” he stated.