Cracks in Kaduna APC as Senator Lar, other Chieftains shun rally

The rally of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Kaduna State chapter on Saturday at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua hall in the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna has laid bare cracks in the party as some notable party personalities were conspicuously absent.

The rally was one of the biggest political event organized under the State governor, Senator Uba Sani since taking over from his immediate past predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai which saw mass defections of politicians to the APC.

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To Uba Sani, it would have been a success story running a political party where he commanded loyalty of topnotch politicians, even as the incumbent Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Tajudeen Abbas, Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker, and many others were present on Saturday for the event.

However, the absence of the former Governor Ramalan Yero, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Zailani, Senator Shehu Sani who formerly represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi who formerly represented Kaduna North Senatorial District, Senator Danjuma Lar, who formerly represented Kaduna South Senatorial District were absent was worrisome.

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It was gathered that some absentee former and serving lawmakers and top members of the APC in Kaduna State was due to cracks in the party, thereby making the APC fold more volatile and vulnerable as the State governor had in past months trying to reposition the party after the exit of the former governor for the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Saturday’s rally stoke fresh speculation that some Chieftains of the APC are at loggerheads with Governor Uba Sani who was accused of not carrying them along in the activities of the party.

A source close to former Senator Danjuma Lar confirmed discontent between the governor and Lar, saying though he was a former member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he defected on February 5 and he deserve to be treated better.

According to the source, Lar defected alongside other 20 persons who are former lawmakers that command influences with assurances from Governor Uba Sani that they were going be treated equally, but his conducted suggested otherwise.

On the absence of his boss at the rally, he said: “Well, all I know is that he wasn’t being carried along. He was still being treated as an opposition despite his defection to the APC. There are a lot activities going on in the party, but he wasn’t consulted.

“He is not a happy man in his new found APC which he has been complaining. You can see he is not present in the mega rally at the Murtala Mohammed Stadium in Kaduna.”

On the absence of serving Federal lawmakers, he said, “let’s agree that Hon Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, the son of the former Governor of Kaduna didn’t attend the rally.

“His absence may be due to conflict between his father, Malam Nasir El-Rufai and Governor Uba Sani, but why others shun the rally, if there was no cold war going on in Kaduna APC.”

Meanwhile, governor Uba Sani in his speech at the rally ascribed the growing number of decampees to his inclusive and people-centred governance model, assuring new members of APC of non-discriminatory treatment.

Uba Sani said: “In Kaduna State chapter of APC, we are one big family and everyone has the same privilege and the same opportunity.

“Our focus has always been justice, fairness and inclusivity. Kaduna is the most diverse state in Nigeria and we have used our diversity as our strength.”

This is even as a serving House of Representatives member, Hon. Abdulkerim Usaini from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP representing Kaduna South Federal Constituency was among decampees to the APC on Satgurday.

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