Controversy has marred the local government congresses of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kano State as members of Buhari Support Organization, a faction in the party, held parallel elections across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state on Saturday.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that the Abdullahi Abbas-led APC caretaker committee had recently held a stakeholders meeting at the instance of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, where it resolved to settle for consensus candidates for the leadership of the party at local government level.
However, members of Buhari Support Organization, led by Shehu Dalhatu, rejected the consensus arrangement and opted for congress, where 27 executive members emerged in each of the 44 Local Government areas of the state.
Addressing journalists immediately after the conduct of the exercise in Tofa Local Government area, member representing Tofa/Rimin-Gado/
Mr Jobe, who is at loggerheads with Mr Ganduje, vehemently kicked against what he described as “selfish agreement of few powerful members in a democratic setting.”
“You don’t hold party election in your room or in government house. You have to go back to the people, let them decide what they want. Every member of the party has to be part of the system.
“Once you ask people not to participate, that means we do not have democracy. And what we have been championing is democracy.
“So what we are doing is to let the people decide for themselves and not what we want. So what we have done is to allow the people to decide for all of us and with that we know we are on sound footing. What we did was not affirmation but election,” Mr Jobe said.
Another member of Buhari Support Organization, Shaaban Sharada, who represents Kano Municipal Federal Constituency, insisted that local government congress was held across the 44 local government areas of the state.
Mr Sharada, who is also the chairman House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, declared that members of Buhari Support Organization from across the 44 LG purchased forms and conducted the election.
“I am happy with the fact that the people came out enmasse to exercise their rights because I am sure that the election took place in all the 44 LGAs. Because party members under the Buhari Support Organization, BSO led by Alhaji Shehu Dalhatu purchased the forms and were allowed to exercise their rights.
Mr Sharada also said “we would not succumb to a situation where few clique of people would now decide for the majority of the party members,”
Reacting to the development, the Secretary of the APC in Kano, Ibrahim Zakari-Sarina, said the exercise went smoothly and it was based on consensus, not elections exercise.
He said “it was agreed by the stakeholders last week at a meeting presided over by the governor to adopt consensus arrangement.
“As far as the party (caretaker committee) is concerned, no local government held any election,” he declared.
