By Adnan Tudunwada
The national vice chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, on Friday said Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, were trying to pull him down.
Mr. Abdul-Kadir stated this at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja while addressing journalists on the allegations leveled against him by the party’s zonal women leader, Aisha Kaita.
According to him, Mr. El-Rufai once threatened to beat him up and prevent him from coming into Kaduna, noting that the incident happened in the presence of other governors from the zone.
“A week before she issued the Press Statement, I was reliably informed that Malam El-Rufai intended to take on me over the APC crisis in Kaduna State, everything will be done to ensure that I am pulled down; and this they intended to achieve by teaming up with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former Governor of Kano State as according to them, Senator Kwankwaso too is aggrieved by the party’s decision in respect of the chairmanship position in Kano State.” Mr. Abdul-Kadir said.
The zonal women leader of the party had on December 29 2016, accused Mr. Abdul-Kadir of financial recklessness and abuse of party’s constitution, which she said had sparked unending intra-party crises in Kano and Kaduna States.
But Mr. Abdul-Kadir countered her claims, saying he used his personal money run his office as no remittance was made from March 2015 to date into the account of the party
“I wish to state here that the only funds that were disbursed to the Zone were done through the party account which was opened and operated at the instance of Party’s National Secretariat. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has ever made any remittance from March 2015 to date into the account of the party. Since then to date, the Zonal Secretariat and the party vehicle are being maintained at my personal expense. In addition to these, my movements to attend party meetings in Abuja and within the Zone are all being undertaken at my personal expense. These finances were duly presented, discussed and approved at the last NEC meeting of the party where Hajiya Aisha Kaita attended and made contributions,” he said.
According to him, the suspension and removal of Umar Doguwa as chairman of Kano State chapter of the party followed due process and was considered and unanimously approved by the zonal executive council at its December 10, 2016 meeting in Dutse, Jigawa Sate.
He said the council meeting was attended by over 200 members, including five governors and four deputy governors.
Efforts to reach Mr. El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, were abortive, while Mr. Kwankwaso’s spokesman, Mohammed Ali, debunked the party leader’s claims.
Mr. Ali urged Mr. Abdul-Kadir to respond to the issues raised and avoid dragging people with proven integrity into the party crisis.
