Controversy over Zamfara APC congresses

The Zamfara State All Progressives Congress (APC) has been hit by a crisis, following its disputed ward, local government and state congresses. The battle line is drawn between supporters of Governor Abdulazeez Yari and those of Senator Kabiru Marafa. Who laughs last? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the effects of the acrimony on the troubled chapter.

Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa have not closed ranks, months after the rancorous ward, council and state congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The war of attrition has polarised the party and affected its cohesion. Is there an end in sight to the acrimony and division?

The battle is between two forces holding on to two antagonistic strands of opinion. The dispute underscores the tension between consensus and election. The constitution of the party provides for consensus. That informed the decision of the State Working Committee to issue a guideline along that line. The advantage of consensus is that it prevents bickering and the logjam associated with delegate elections and direct primaries.

But, according to the guidelines, where party faithful fail to agree on consensus, the logical answer is intra-party election, which is final.

The two APC camps were locked in suspicion and mutual distrust. Since the congresses would lay the foundation for politics of nominations ahead of next year’s elections, they perceived the congresses as the first phase of the ‘2019 battle.’ The camp of the governor was favourably disposed to consensus. Marafa and his group were irked by the option, pointing out that it was undemocratic. Before the commencement of the exercise on May 5, the faction loyal to the senator reiterated its objection to what it described as imposition, urging the congress panel chaired by Ambassador Dauda Danladi to conduct an elective congress. Copies of the protest letters were sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Zamfara State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Police Commissioner and Director of State Security Service (SSS).

The petition was ignored. On the day of the exercise, the candidates of the governor emerged as party officers through affirmation. Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central in the Upper Chamber, cried foul, saying it was fraudulent. He said it was wrong to go ahead with the state congress without permitting his group to ventilate its grievances. The senator alleged that while his faction fulfilled the guidelines by paying the prescribed fees for contestants, those who contested in Yari camp did not pay as required by law. He accused the Congress Planning Committee of bias, stressing that they took sides in the dispute.

Marafa’s supporters said they were prepared for an elective congress, unlike the governor who insisted on consensus and affirmation. The faction queried: “Why is the governor afraid of election? Any politician that is afraid of election has no business in politics. Why was the guideline flouted?”

But, Yari supporters fired back, saying the congresses complied with the laid down regulations.

According to the guidelines, forms should be obtained, following the presentation of bank tellers. The forms should be filled and returned before the commencement of the elections. But, as Marafa claimed, the congress committee arrived Gusau, the state capital, less than 12 hours to the exercise on May 5. Although the faction paid for 4,704 forms, only 1,400 forms were issued to the group. Also, Marafa’s supporters were taken aback when they discovered that the committee could not lay its hand on the register of party members, which the guidelines said it should be used to conduct the election. The committee did not have the list of three ad hoc staff per ward that should be posted to wards other than their own to conduct the congresses. Although the guidelines stipulated that the names of contestants should be didplayed in each ward where voting will take place, the condition was not fulfilled.

Aggrieved party members said history was repeating itself in Zamfara, recalling that the same exclusion happened during the time of former Governor Aliyu Shinkafi when Marafa was denied the senatorial ticket in 2011, contrary to the advise of stakeholders who insisted on the election of their flag bearers for the elections. Although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in control of the federal, state and local governments, the people of Central District defiled the party and voted for Marafa, who contested against the PDP candidate in the senatorial poll. Marafa scored 203,000 votes while the PDP candidate polled 93,000. Rejecting the imposition of candidates, the people voted for popular candidates who lacked the governor’s backing. That circumstances prepared the ground for the emergence of Yari as governor.

According to party chieftains, Marafa, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), is still popular. They said the APC cannot risk his defection to another platform because his zone accounts for 48 per cent of the total registered voters, although it has not produced the governor of the state since 1999.

Marafa is bitter. His supporters said the bitterness is justifiable. He told the Congress Appeal Panel that he was excluded from the exercise deliberately, despite the fact that he paid for forms that were denied his group. He maintained that the forms issued to Yari’s supporters from the APC National Secretariat were not paid for, He challenged the congress committee to tender the evidence of payment before the exercise. He tendered the bank tellers from his group as evidence of compliance with guidelines.

The senator complained that the venue of the congress in Gusau was cordoned off to prevent members of his faction from participating in the exercise. He said he was denied access to the venue of the Tsafe Local Government Congress on May 12, although he is a statutory delegate. He also complained that his security details were disarmed, tear gassed and arrested by over-zealous mobile policemen.

In Marafa’s view, there were no congresses in Zamfara, stressing that what took place was a charade.  Alarmed at the complaints, Danladi acknowledged that Zamfara APC was beset with problems. He tried to pacify the aggrieved, saying it is a family matter that can be settled amicably.

The congress at a time also became a bone of contention between Yari and his distant predecessor, Senator Yerima. The former governor had raised an objection when Yari allegedly tried to sponsor a chieftain who is not in Yerima’s good book. In fact, Yerima threatened to walk out of the venue in protest. Sources said Yari, who quickly retraced his steps, drafted one of his commissioners to the chairmanship race. Marafa doubted if the emergency candidate obtained a form.

He added: “All the governor’s candidates who never obtained forms as at the time of election as stipulated by the guidelines were all affirmed and returned elected.”

What is the way out of the logjam? The senator urged the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the National Working Committee (NWC) to investigate what he described as “infractions in Zamfara APC.” He advised the national leadership to call a meeting of Zamfara APC stakeholders for the purpose of correcting the anomalies, which, in his view, can affect the chances of the party in next year’s elections. He feared that affirmation may also be adopted during the proposed primaries, thereby party on fire.

The Zamfara APC imbroglio may portend danger to its future electoral interest. It is escalating at a tome  Oshiomhole and the NWC are working assiduously to douse tension in the party nationwide. Scores of chieftains, led by Buba Galadima, have defected from the party to another party. Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom is still being pacified to jettison his defection plan. Although Marafa has not indicated that he will defect, his followers are disenchanted and restless.

The senator said:”I am calling for reconciliation as the aggrieved party chieftains who were excluded from the congresses have genuine grievances that can still be resolved before 2019 polls.”

But, the new chairman, Alhaji Lawan Liman, said there is no crisis in the chapter, adding that it is a figment of imagination. He gave an impression of personality clash between the governor and the senator, which, in his opinion, may not have bearing on party management. He said the party has given opportunity to the senator to ventilate his grievances before the appeal panel. The chairman said the national leadership of the party does not believe that there is crisis in the Zamfara chapter.

Liman added: “I don’t know anything about crisis in Zamfara. You were at the convention of the party. Was Zamfara listed among states where we had crisis? After the inauguration, they mentioned just three states-Imo, Delta and Oyo- and they were urged to go and settle. Ee have since moved on in Zamfara because the governor is interested in a united party ahead of the election.

“As a party, there are procedures. If he( senator) thinks that he has an issue with the governor, he should go back and settle with the governor. We are not aware we have any issue with him (Marafa) as a party. He has gone to the Appeal Committee. If he had case, the committee would have listened.

In Zamfara, we don’t have any crisis.”

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