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From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Before now, the members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State had a cordial and harmonious relationship with one another. What they hitherto enjoyed could be likened to one big family; they hardly did anything without due consultation with one another especially when making top decisions.
But the emergence of the APC National chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, an indigene of Nasarwa State which should ordinarily strengthen the unity and existing bond among members, sadly has completely polarized the interest of the members and party supporters alike.
The party primaries might have come and gone but it left unpleasant experiences that further polarized and caused disaffection among party members especially political gladiators.
Although in every contest, there must emerge a winner or a loser, the recent APC primaries in the state left much to be desired, as aggrieved aspirants decried the process and manner in which winners of various positions emerged.
The aggrieved aspirants and their supporters alleged that the original delegates’ lists were doctored to favour certain aspirants perceived to be anointed by powers that be within the party.
Analysts believe the perceived injustice in the just concluded primaries heightened the political atmosphere of Nasarawa and created tension and uncertainty in the APC family.
According to a major stakeholder in the state who did not want to be mentioned, “The reality is playing out already, as powerful party members who feel betrayed by the leadership of the party in the state are now resigning their membership from the ruling party (APC) and defecting to other political parties; this is even as the speculation of a change of party structure intensifies.”
Gov Abdullahi Sule in an effort to pacify aggrieved aspirants and their supporters recently inaugurated a reconciliatory committee to see to the issues that played out during the party primaries and to seek amicable resolution thereof.
“We want to win this election, we want to win this election for several reasons; we have a lot of good things happening to us in Nasarawa State. And some of them we started and we need to conclude them,” Sule said.
Earlier before the APC primaries in the state, Nasarawa State Chairman of the party, Dr. John Mamman had accused the national secretariat of the APC to have doctored the delegate list.
He said the party was sad after discovering that the authentic list of delegates sent to the national Secretariat for the party primaries has been tampered with.
Because of the perceived change of delegates list, some aspirants felt they were suppressed by the party supremacy in the state and had shifted camps.
Nasarawa State has three geopolitical zones – West, South and the North.
In the Nasarawa West which is the local government of the National chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu is now a centre of resignation and defection from the ruling APC as some notable political gladiators like Ahmed Wadada, Jonathan Gaza and many others who did not participate in the primary elections alleging irregularities and tempering of the list of delegates.
These two political gladiators had left the party and pledged their allegiance to the social Democratic Party, SDP with their supporters following them which has become a force that the APC will face in the zone.
“Wherever there is injustice, I cannot be there, so there is no justice in APC and I know I have the followership of my people; that’s why I opted for a different platform so as to enable me actualize my dreams,’ Wadada said.
Jonathan Gaza, a two-term serving member of the House of Representatives representing Karu/Keffi/Kokona Federal Constituency also defected to SDP alongside Wadada.
Meanwhile, Labaran Magaji, is the only aspirant who refused to withdraw from the contest even though he had also accused the party of changing the list of delegates.
Magaji contested and lost the Senate seat to Shehu Tukur but did not accept the outcome of the primary election and had since filed a case at the federal high court, praying the court to either declare him winner of the election or cancel some local government delegates list which he alleged that was doctored.
The atmosphere is also not pleasing for the APC in the zone as roadside food vendors, motorcyclists, majalisa spot, newspaper stands are always discussing the danger the situation had posed to the APC in the forthcoming election in the state and country.
Looking at the Northern zone of the state where the APC before now had a strong base, bearing in mind that it is the zone of the governor of the state which should not be prone to problems, the governor must be worried as some of his strong allies in the zone had moved to other political parties including his Director of campaign during his 2019 election, Dan Boyi.
Senator Godiya Akwashiki who has officially resigned his membership of APC along with some of the aspirants for the state Assembly from the Northern zone which according to some sources would join the SDP soon would greatly affect the APC.
“I withdrew from the race because delegates’ lists were doctored by the party”, Akwashiki said
His departure from the APC is in no doubt a threat to the party in that zone.
In the Southern Senatorial district, Abubakar Sarki Dahiru, serving House of Representatives member representing Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency had resigned from the APC, defected to Social Democratic Party (SDP) with reports indicating more aspirants in the state House of Assembly from the APC are gearing up to join the train in the zone.
However, the senatorial ticket was given to Senator Tanko Al-makura for Nasarawa South which is somewhat generating serious problems among party stakeholders in the zone.
Recall that Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura was elected at the primary of the APC unopposed, which some stakeholders believed that they were suppressed to surrender their aspirations to him.
The disappointment of these individuals is still a boiling issue even from among their supporters prompting some to contemplate remaining in the party or going against the party during the general elections.
In another twist, the election of Al-makura’s nephew, Muhammadu Al-makura as APC flag bearer, Lafia/Obi federal constituency has ultimately created a disquiet in the zone in which both the family are flying the flag of the party for the upper and lower chambers, causing some commotion in the party.
Our correspondents gathered that some people within the party in the zone are weighing up their options to either withdraw their support for the party for another political party or play anti- party activities.
Even though some political observers in Nasarawa State believed that the reconciliation committee is coming rather late, maintaining that the committee is supposed to be in place even before the primaries or immediately after the primaries.
On what parameters will this committee begin their reconciliation as majority of the aggrieved members are no longer members of the APC, some are still contesting while some are still consulting for options.
If at any point the reconciliation committee fails to woo these notable aggrieved members back to the party, Governor Abdulahi Sule might find it very difficult in retaining his seat in the 2023 governorship election in Nasarawa State.
