From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called on the national leadership of the party to apply sanctions by expelling the duo of former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa, from the party.

He insisted that the party’s ward congresses conducted at the weekend in Zamafara State was valid, emphasising that no court can set aside the outcome of the congress since it conformed with all constitutional provisions.

In a statement he issued in Abuja, Shinkafi accused the duo of Yari and Senator Marafa of trying to reenact what they did in 2019 by sabotaging the efforts of the party to win the 2023 general elections.

Reacting to the boycott of the said congresses by Yari, Senator Kabiru Marafa and their supporters, Shinkafi stated that their protests amounts to a non-issue as they are not registered members of the party.

“Sen Kabiru Marafa and Abdul’aziz Yari, don’t have any genuine reason to go to court because they were not registered as members of APC during the last concluded APC revalidation/ registration exercise. After the defection of the Governor Bello Mattawalle to APC, they refused to validate their membership of the party. You cannot build something on nothing, you cannot build a house without a concrete foundation?

“When you have not been registered duly as a member of APC, what locus standi do you have to challenge the exercise in court? Since they do not have membership cards as duly registered members of APC, they lack the locus to challenge any decision taken by the party. Party  register are used for the conduct Congresses  and primary election.

“All the party registers must be duly certified  by the National headquarter of APC  Abuja, their names are not in the registers. Therefore, with this development, as far as I am concerned, there is no faction in Zamfara APC and the Congresses conducted last Saturday remained valid no Court can it set-aside,” he quipped.

Speaking further, Shinkafi noted that; “it is very unfortunate for somebody who has been a Governor for eight years and a Senator to look down at the party leadership, trying to  constitute themselves as bigger than the party, be as an Island. Tthe faction of Sen Kabiru Marafa and Abdul’aziz Yari, are the same.

“To say it clearly, I have never believed Marafa has a faction in APC because since February this year everybody knows he has reconciled with the Abdul’aziz Yari faction thereby his faction seized to exist and all his structures has collapsed.

“After he reconciled with Abdul’aziz Yari, I don’t think he has any faction any more. So, for Sen Marafa to now claim that he held a congress, leaving Yari, it means that the reconciliation is not sincere and that there was no reconciliation, means that they are economical with the truth.

“This is because if somebody can come to the public or go to the media and even some social media Network to pronounce his reconciliation with former Governor Yari and today when the national leadership of APC came to conduct ward Congresses, then he claims to have reconstituted himself again as a factional leader, then he is truly fooling himself, his followers and the followers of Yari.

“So, for me, what Marafa is doing now is childish, because if after the meeting they conveyed in Kaduna and resolved that Hon  Lawali M Liman the former state Chairman of the party and also former state caretaker chairman of the party had resolved to back out of the ward Congress claiming that there is a suit pending before the Federal High Court  and that is why they did not partake in the Congress in obedience of order of Federal High Court Gusau Division that all parties are enjoined to  maintain status quo pending the determination of the suit filed before it by and large I think they have no genuine reason in my opinion not to partake in the election legally. In simple terms, they have forfeited their rights,” he said.

On the decision of Sen Marafa to challenge the Acting Chairman of APC, Mai Mala Buni, in Court, Shinkafi noted: “with this development if Sen Marafa said he will go to court to challenge the APC and the Chairman, he has proved to the members of the public that he is ignorant of the Supreme Court of Nigeria judgement.

“Marafa challenging Buni in court over the conduct of Congresses by the Zamfara State APC will make no meaningful impact as they are going to waste their time and resources as they are no longer members of the APC, they have no locus standi as he is not a registered member of the APC, he is a meddlesome interloper. And there was no violation of the party’s constitution.

“But in a situation where there is a violation of the Nigerian constitution or non compliance with the provisions of electoral act 2010 as amended, then members of that political party who feel  aggrieved has the right to file a suit in  court to challenge the illegality of what  party did. For Sen Marafa and Yari, they don’t have any genuine reason to go to court because they are not registered as members of APC, as they failed to register during the just concluded APC revalidation and registration exercise  after the defection of the Governor Bello Mattawalle to APC they refused to  validate their party membership