Six months after taking power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been factionalised into two camps in Kaduna State.

The new APC group calls itself the True All Progressives Congress (True APC). It has the following as prominent members: Retired Permanent Secretary, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Hajiya Hafsat Baba, former ANPP chairman, Alhaji Kabir Umar, former Education Commissioner, Mr. Tom Mataimaki Maiyashi, Alhaji Lawal Maiturare, Nasiru Ahmed; Special Adviser on Strategy to Senator Shehu Sani, and Murtala Abubakar.

The group accused the State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, of hijacking party apparatus and derailing from the idea of true change that millions of Kaduna people yearn and voted for.

The new APC at a press conference in Kaduna accused Governor El-Rufai of running “anti-people policies . . . which have continued to produce misery and pauperisation.”

Alhaji Murtala Abubakar, who is the Publicity Secretary of True APC, said: “Members of True APC are responsible people who successfully worked hard to remove the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and put our party in power, it is with tremendous reluctance that we make public, issues and grievances that should have the responsibility to address them.”

The group said there is no available avenue left and they would fail millions of people who expect the party to operate with requisite standard of responsibility and accommodation if they continue to remain silent.

“The same millions of people who require the State Government under our great party to show sensitivity to the feelings of our people in the discharge of its mandate need to know where we stand on the disturbing issue of the clear contempt for decency being exhibited by the state administration,” they added.

They said before going to public which they tried to resist, they made presentation to the national leadership of the party “to live up to its responsibilities by bringing the party in Kaduna State back to life.” They said the media briefing is meant to avert “what appears to be the hijack of our great party by the State Governor with apparently the tacit support of the Party’s National Headquarters.”

True APC said what is most alarming is the absence of functional and autonomous party structures in the state, “which has created a long distance between the State Government and the teeming party members.” This, it alleged, is in line with the desire of Governor el-Rufai to rule without “any apposition or counsel from any quarter.”

True APC said to prevent millions of people of the state and beyond who desperately yearn for positive change and have sympathy for the party losing faith in it, is making the following demands: the national leadership of the party should set up a credible machinery to conduct elections into vacant offices in the party in Kaduna State; the national leadership should resist any pressure to subvert the wishes of party members by ensuring that lackeys and fake delegates are not used during the elections.

•Adapted from a LEADERSHIP report. Photo shows True APC chieftain Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.

Update news