From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have waded into the rift between Governor Umar Ganduje and his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Also, the party has raised a 3-man panel to probe the crisis rocking the party in Kano State.
National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun disclosed this yesterday while addressing party leaders and elders that stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
There has been no love lost between Governor Ganduje and Kwankwaso over the soul of the party in the state.
According to him, the panel led by the national deputy chairman, national secretary and national organising secretary respectively would restore peace in the party, warning gladiators involved in the crisis to sheath their swords.
Oyegun said the state is too volatile and sensitive to allow rancour to continue between Ganduje and Kwankwaso and their teeming supporters, warning factions to unite with Governor Umar Ganduje to move the state forward.
“We have a committee of three persons led by the national deputy chairman, national secretary and national organising secretary working to restore amity between the two main personalities involved. I am also aware that the governors have wadded into the issue and I am equally aware that Kano State traditional rulers have also intervened.
“It is a situation that we must not, as a party, allow to blossom. We must nip it in the bod because it is most unnecessary, most distracting and most capable of causing problem in a state as sensitive and to some extent as volatile as Kano State.
Addressing the delegation of party leaders and elders that stormed the National Secretariat of the ruling party in Abuja yesterday to appeal for the intervention of the national leadership of the party, Oyegun cautioned that the greatest disservice is to have internal walls within the party in a state very critical to APC as Kano.
His words: “The letter you submitted is part of the overall challenges we are currently experiencing in Kano State and it is most unfortunate. I want to also say that I am aware of the crisis and we as a party have intervened in major challenges that gave rise to this letter you submitted.
“It is in your interest and ours for the national secretariat to ensure that the difference between two of our very prominent persons in Kano did not go any further. It is an internal matter between two friends and brothers.
“It is very clear that we must restore the situation ante so that government should operate without distraction and for peace to reign in Kano State. All our efforts are geared towards that. We want to plead with you to ensure that peace reigns.
“We have only one governor in Kano State and if authority must be upheld, it is not questionable.
“The governor is not on trial and it is important that we give him the atmosphere necessary to govern successfully especially now that resources are very lean. We must ensure that Kano leadership is united behind the governor to ensure that he succeeds.
“None of us must do anything likely to make the already bad situation to be worse. We will look into the letter you submitted, bearing our constitutional processes strictly. We will communicate to you in due course and I again plead with you to help us to restore peace among the elders and leaders of Kano State.
“Let me warn that the greatest disservice we can do to ourselves now is to have internal walls within the party in a state very critical to us as Kano.
“It is an important and critical state to the APC. The nation, through no fault of ours is worse than expected.
“The totality of the party must unite behind our chief executives from the President to the governors. We are going to do everything we can to restore amity especially now that we are in critical and difficult times,” he pleaded.
Speaking earlier, the delegation had told the national leaders that “the purported condolence visit paid by Senator Kwankwaso was to say the least a misnomer to cultural and religious norms and had assaulted the person of the governor and government of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“It was a platform of Presidential campaign which was rejected and condemned by all well-meaning persons in its character and content.
This led to the leadership to decide among others for a disciplinary action to condemn the act in order to save the image of the party in the eyes of the public,” they noted.