The political crises that trailed Zamfara All Progressive Congress (APC) assumed a new dimension weekend as the warring factions threatened to attack each other at the Presidential campaign rally scheduled for Sunday in Gusau.
Following unfavorable security reports, President Muhamamdu Buhari was forced to shelve the rally scheduled for Sunday and recalled the President’s advance team which was already on their way to Zamfara.
BusinessDay gathered from the Presidential Villa on Friday that the action was caused by the tension generated by the omission of Zamfara APC candidate’s name from the March 2nd gubernatorial election
Recall that Governor Abdulaziz Yari had boasted last week that he was positive that the Zamfara APC will produce a Governorship candidate for the election, while relying on a purported Zamfara High Court ruling on the issues,as against the one given by a Federal High Court in Abuja upholding the position of Independent National Electoral Commission INEC not to recognize any candidate name submitted after the closing date.
It was learnt that the two groups- one loyal the Governor Yari and the other, to
kabiru Marafa, a serving Senator, had been at each other’s throats over who controls the party structures ahead of the Presidential rally on Sunday.
But Speaking with State House Correspondents on Friday, Marafa who claimed ignorance of the cancellation of the APC Zamfara rally, said he was at the Presidential Villa to submit proposal on the way forward.
“We don’t have candidates for now because of the political impasse that characterised Zamfara State in the last few months and the president is billed to be in Zamfara on Sunday, Feb. 3
“Because of the rumple between disagreeing parties, we felt it is better Mr President suspends his visit to Zamfara. After all, we are there; we can campaign for him; he knows us; he knows our individual capacities; there is no point bringing all the factions under one umbrella, because once the president is there, if you like the president and you are with him, you will like to show your face.
“However, we feel it is avoidable; but you cannot come to the president with just one single suggestion.
“We are not doing what we are doing to impress anybody; we have already gotten all the necessary trust and belief from Mr President, even if he is not there, we will do the right thing. But if the party or the Presidential Campaign Council feels they must be in Zamfara on Sunday, we and our supporters want to be excused and we will conduct our own rally for the president on a different date and we will televise it live on NTA so that everybody can see;
Marafa insists that “Justice must prevail” , noted that the crises had began with the party congresses , adding that “you cannot exclude some people”.
“The issue was that there was a subsisting court order; this crisis started from the congresses that were conducted in April last year; two factions emerge, Yari had his own party executives and I have my own party executives. However, the NWC then cleared the governor’s side and recognised it and we went to court that the process was flawed; that we were disenfranchised and we will not agree.
“The court looked at the complaints because primary elections were approaching that time; it gave an order that both Marafa and the other faction should stay away from anything that has to do with party executives at the local level.
