Gusau town, Zamfara State capital, was last Thursday filled to capacity following a peaceful demonstration by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress against their national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, demanding for his immediate removal.
The demonstrators, who were drawn from the 14 local government areas of the state converged at the party’s state Secretariat, Gusau, carrying placards with many anti-Oshiomhole inscriptions, chanting slogans, calling on the national working committee of the party to immediately remove him from his seat.
Addressing the angry protestors, the APC Chairman, Gusau Local Government Area, Alhaji Babangida Abdullahi, described Oshiomhole as a spoiler and an architect of all the problems affecting the party.
“Adam Oshiomhole has turned the party into his personal belongings and doing what he feels like without consulting the party’s National Working Committee while his leadership has brought disunity instead of unity among members,” he said..
Another speaker, Alhaji Bello Dankande Gamji, maintained that APC has witnessed series of unfortunate events during the leadership of Oshiomhole, stressing that he (Oshiomhole) has succeeded in destabilising the party.
Dankande, who is the state commissioner for local governments and chieftaincy affairs, said Oshiomhole should be removed if the party really wants to record success in the forthcoming general elections.
In his reaction after receiving the protest letter to be delivered to President Muhammadu Buhari, the state APC Secretary, Alhaji Sani Musa Mafara, who spoke on behalf of the state party chairman assured the protesters that he would deliver their letter to an appropriate authority for necessary action.
There were however mixed reactions from APC supporters in the state. While some members viewed the protest as a welcome development, others were of the view that it was wrong as well as uncalled for.
One of those APC members who were not in support of the demonstration is the Vice chairman, Zurmi local government area, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran.
Dauran explained that it was wrong for anybody to accuse the APC national chairman of the crisis in Zamfara State, adding that, what is happening in the state was as a result of selfish interest.
“The crisis in Zamfara is as a result of selfish interest shown by our Governor in the appointment of candidates to contest in the forthcoming general elections. We should not blame anybody for our predicament,” said Dauran.
Also defending the national chairman of the party, an APC supporter, Malam Musa Shehu, said people should blame Governor Yari for whatever happened in the state because he (Yari) did not allow party supporters to choose the candidates of their choice.
It would be recalled that the problem between Governor Yari and the APC national chairman, Oshiomhole, started when the National Working Committee of the party insisted that there must be direct primaries in the state while Governor Yari insisted that he preferred indirect primaries.
Governor Yari wanted to anoint his finance commissioner, Alhaji Mukthar Shehu Idris, as his successor which was kicked against by eight contestants of the position who called themselves the “G8” and unanimously agreed to give Gov. Yari a big fight in the struggle.
When the national working committee of the party sent to conduct primary elections failed to conclude their assignment, Gov. Yari went ahead and conducted it, but the election results were rejected by both the Independent National Electoral Commission and APC headquarters, a situation which has forced the governor to take legal action.
Meanwhile, APC governorship aspirant, Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, has slammed the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, over the protest against the party’s national chairman, Oshiomhole.
Senator Marafa, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (downstream), said the anti-Oshiomhole protesters that stormed the streets of Gusau, the state capital, on Thursday were sponsored by the state government.
In a statement issued to newsmen in Abuja, Senator Marafa said the protesters were mobilised by Yari following his inability to bend rules to impose candidates who are his cronies on the party in the state.
The senator said Yari should be the one to be sacked and not Oshiomhole whom he described as a law-abiding leader.
“Yari and his co- travelers are wrong and Comrade Oshiomhole is right as far as the issues in the party are concerned,” he said.
Senator Marafa who recalled the genesis of the party crisis in the state stated that primaries were not conducted in Zamfara State and consensus was not agreed upon.
“There was a court order that says all parties should not take any step that will render useless the litigation before it. The party under the able leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole respected the order and said all parties in the crisis should hands off. The party and its leadership should be commended for respecting the law, a foundation upon which APC was built,” he
said.
Marafa also said : ”When the committee of the NWC came to conduct the primary in Zamfara, violence orchestrated by Yari’s people erupted, the committee was forced to cancel the election. This is also a valid thing. The position taken by the Governor that primaries should be conducted by the executives in his camp was irresponsible, contemptuous and height of lawlessness.
“The crux of the matter is that there was no election and there was no consensus in Zamfara. So, we are commending Comrade Oshiomhole and INEC for respecting the court order.”
Marafa said the millions of naira Yari spent to organise the protest should have been channelled towards securing the release of 17 persons, including two young girls kidnapped in Dauran, Jangebe, Magami and other locations in the state.
Marafa assured that majority of APC family members in Zamfara are solidly behind Oshiomhole and the leadership of the party.
