The three-man committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by its Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni, set up to look into the crisis in the Kaduna State chapter, has raised hopes of success in its assignment. The committee sounded upbeat when it visited what is now known as ground zero – the site of the demolished building that served as the secretariat of one of the factions.

The crisis had last Monday culminated in the demolition, by the State Government, of the building.

The committee visited the site three minutes after major aggrieved party stakeholders who waited to receive the members for over five hours had left. The aggrieved stakeholders include Shuaibu Inuwa Wada, the factional state chairman; Suleiman Hunkuyi, a Senator; Shehu Sani, also a Senator; Tijjani Ramalan, Chairman, Liberty TV/Radio; Ambassador Sule Buba, former Director General of late governor Ibrahim Yakowa’s campaign organisation; Idi Farouk, former Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA); Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi, former Commissioner for Education; Rabi Abdulsalam, former Commissioner for Women Affairs, who was recently sacked by Governor Nasir El-Rufai; and Vice Admiral Ibrahim Iko, among others.

Senator Sani had addressed journalists on behalf of the aggrieved stakeholders at the ground zero, and before they immediately dispersed in their vehicles, leaving behind security personnel and supporters.

The Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency in a statement by its Director-General, Ibrahim Husseini, on Tuesday said it pulled down the building located at 11b Sambo Road in Kaduna as part of operations it was undertaking across Kaduna metropolis in compliance with its mandate.

The National Working Committee of the party announced the decision to investigate the crisis in a statement on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, following an executive session it held on Wednesday.

The party said the committee will look into the remote and immediate causes of the crisis in the state chapter and the circumstance that led to the demolition of the building, which belonged to a senator and member of the party, Suleiman Hunkuyi.

It said the committee will be led by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni; National Auditor, George Moghalu; and National Woman Leader, Rahmatu Alliyu.

“The unfolding situation in Kaduna State is deeply regrettable and requests all parties in the disagreement to maintain utmost decorum and give opportunity for true reconciliation,” the party stated.

“Consequently, the NWC has set up a three-man committee led by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Engr. Segun Oni to embark on a fact-finding mission to Kaduna State with a view to identifying the remote and immediate causes of the disagreement and the circumstance that led to the demolition of the house of Senator Hunkuyi.

“The committee is to report back to the NWC within a week. Other members of the Committee are the National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu and National Woman Leader, Hajia Rahmatu Alliyu.”

The committee later arrived Sambo road by 3:39 p.m. yesterday, three minutes after the aggrieved stakeholders had dispersed.

Senator Hunkuyi, owner of the demolished property, grudgingly returned and led the committee round the remains of the building.

He told the committee before taking the memebers round the ground zero: “I was just by the round about when I got your call that you have arrived. The general feeling was that you will arrive by 11am and meet us the aggrieved first here (ground zero), before going to see anybody.

“We have been here since 10:00 a.m. and you can see the time you came 3:39 p.m., few minutes after all of us have dispersed.”

Senator Hunkuyi also complained to the committee that the national leadership has officially invited only the leadership of the faction loyal to the governor for the National Executive Council meeting coming up by Tuesday.

“Shuaibu Inuwa Wada, the bonafide, elected state deputy chairman and acting chairman of the party has not been invited for the upcoming NEC meeting.

“If he is not invited for that NEC meeting, there is no reason why the other faction will be invited.

“If the person whose name is recognised in your data bank is not invited, then there is no need for you to invite the person who is not recognised,” Mr. Hunkuyi told the committee.

Mr. Oni apologised for their late arrival, which he hinged on the delay in flight of some of his members and their earlier visit to the governor, members of the state assembly and to the faction loyal to the governor.

The committee had also visited the site of the demolished residence of Inuwa Abdulkadir, National Vice Chairman North West, of the party along Yakubu Avenue.

He said the crisis between members of the party in the state is “reconcilable”, but dodged the question of which Kaduna faction is recognised by the national leadership of the party saying: “This goes beyond merely looking at papers; we will also look at all state documents which is the paper that was filed for election result, the election data, the certificate of return.

“We will look at what INEC has and we will look at what we have in our secretariat, we will do the right thing.”

Oni said the National Working Committee is very concerned about happenings in Kaduna.

“Within our family, we do not want party members to feel so bad so aggrieved by actions taken by such other members of the party.

“We are here to find out the fact, we are here to also appeal to all sides to sheathe their swords, to give us time to put together this report.

“As you are all aware, the President has set up a reconciliation committee led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to reconcile members in a situation where they are aggrieved with one another or at logger head on issues with one another.

“When we finish with our report, we will give the report to the NWC that assigns us from the first instance and they will direct copies straight to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Oni said.

He said the report would be the source document based on which Mr. Tinubu will now begin his work.

He called on the factions to live in peace “and refrain from further inflaming the atmosphere”, adding: “You should also have confidence that whatever problems that we have, will be resolved by Gods grace so that all of us can function together and we will be able to move our party and the state forward.”

•Photo by Garba Ahmed shows the fact finding visit of three-man committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by its Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni, at Kaduna APC secretariat ground zero.

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