The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction in Zamfara State under Senator Kabiru Marafa, has reacted to the expulsion of Sirajo Garba and 125 other members from the party, describing it as illegal.
A seven-man Disciplinary Committee set up by APC leadership in the state under Lawal Liman, on Thursday, announced the expulsion of Sirajo Garba and 125 others for allegedly violating the directive of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
Garba is the State Chairman of the Marafa’s APC faction.
Speaking at a press conference in Gusau on Saturday, the State Publicity Secretary of the faction, Bello Bakyasuwa, claimed that Abdul’aziz Yari’s loyalists had no legal rights to expel any member from the party.
He accused the national leadership of the party under Governor Maimala Buni of Yobe State of bias and supporting Yari’s faction, saying that it would not yield positive results for the party in the state.
“We consider Buni a man of integrity based on his records but with the recent development and what we are seeing now, we are starting to lose hope in his leadership.
“The APC crisis in Zamfara is the first issue that is supposed to be treated by the Buni-led committee immediately after its emergence, but due to sentiments, it’s now supporting Yari’s camp,” he said.
Bakyasuwa further claims that, even the said letter for the setting up the seven-man disciplinary committee by the national secretariat to Yari’s camp, is considered baseless by their faction.
“Because as a faction of the party in the state, we were not communicated to by the national leadership regarding the formation of any disciplinary committee.
“We have not received any documents either from the national secretariat or from our sister faction in the state in that regard.
“The national secretariat of the party recently issued statements, dissociating itself from giving directives to the state APC under Abdul’aziz Yari to sanction any member of the party.
“We urge the national leadership to disregard any issue of expelling our members from the party.
“We also urge them to have the APC in mind and not to support anything that will end up destroying the party in the state.
“If the situation continues like this, the crisis may affect the APC in the upcoming Bakura State Assembly by-election.
“We aspire to see that the crisis is over so as to reunite again and work together for the progress of the party. We, Sen. Marafa’s loyalists are law abiding citizens, we are open for sincere and purposeful dialogue,” he said.
He urged their supporters to remain calm, saying that the faction had already written a petition to the APC national leadership over the issue.
