From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Former Governor of Kano State and leader of a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Ibrahim Shekarau has listed conditions that must be met for reconciliation with the mainstream party structure led by the state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. The crisis within the party is mainly between Shekarau, who is being supported by Barau Jibrin, a senator representing Kano North, and the governor’s camp. The crisis has resulted in litigation and allegations of irregular congresses at the ward and local government levels.
Saturday Sun gathered that the national leadership of the party, led by the Chairman, APC Caretaker Committee, Mai Mala Buni and Jigawa State Governor, Mohammad Badaru Abubakar initiated a fresh move in Abuja to end the festering hostilities between the two factions of the party in the state. The peace initiative is coming weeks after a similar effort by the Abdullahi Adamu Committee to broker peace hit the rocks as a result of the strong positions of the warring factions, especially the faction led by Ibrahim Shekarau. In a five-minute audio released by Shekarau on what transpired at the reconciliation meeting in Abuja, he said the national leadership appealed to the factions to close ranks for peace to reign.
“The reconciliatory committee was inundated with our successes at the court and the present situation of the party,” Shekarau said. We told the committee that we are ready for peace discussions but with conditions. The conditions are respect for party members, equity and fairness among all, so that everybody’s rights are protected.
“The struggle we are embarking on is not to create chaos or disrespect to anybody but to ensure that the efforts create level playing field for everybody,” he added.
“Almighty God emphasized that reconciliation is very good, but we should sensible, honest and ensure fairness in carrying out the action,” he added. Shekarau, therefore, appealed to their supporters not to be deterred or worried as they would never compromise their interest.
Efforts to get insights of what transpired at the Abuja meeting from Ganduje’s camp were unsuccessful as at press time.
