| Turaki’s defection
deepens Jigawa ANPP crisis
By IBRAHIM BARDE, Kano
Saturday, November 6, 2004
The All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in Jigawa State
has been thrown into a deep crisis following the forceful
expulsion of the party’s State Chairman, Alhaji Babannan
Rabo Aujara by a splinter group within the party on Thursday
afternoon.
The sacking of Aujara was announced by the Party’s vice
Chairman, Mohammed Daguro, who is believed to be the leader
of the splinter group that is angling for Governor Saminu
Turaki’s alleged impending defection to the PDP.
In the terse statement, Daguro alleged that Aujara was being
expelled from the party for allegedly "defrauding the
party of millions of Naira," but did not specify the
exact sum. Daguro has since taken over as an acting Chairman
of the Party in the State.
However, watchers of the unfolding drama believe that the
expulsion has to do with the press conference the Party Chairman
addressed in Dutse on Wednesday, refuting the claims that
the Governor would be leaving his party for the PDP.
"I was one of the people who accompanied the Governor
to Adamawa State to see Turakin Adamawa, the vice-president
but at no time did we discuss any issue regarding mass movement
to the rival PDP, so all I can say is that the claims making
the rounds that the Governor is defecting to PDP is false,
he is alive, let us wait for him to come and say so himself.
Until then, I don’t want people to believe what is being
said," Aujara had stated at the conference.
Saturday Sun was also told that Governor Turaki "wishes
that all of the 11 members of the House of Representatives,
local government chairmen, commissioners, House of Assembly
members, Senators and every top government functionary should
move en masse with him into the PDP as a measure of intimidating
those already in the party. Not only that, he went with his
business associate one Mohammed Abubakar Badaru to Turakin
Adamawa, seeking his blessing as the person who will succeed
him as Governor in 2007! This decision is very unpopular among
party men and women, people feel they are not animals that
Turaki can push around as he so wishes. Besides, they also
question the choice and antecedents of Badaru whom they say
Turaki is planning toimpose on them.
The leadership of our State is not about importation of second
hand cars or the brewing of groundnut oil, it is more serious
than that! If he wants to leave, let him leave alone instead
of forcing people to join him, after all when former Governor
Mallah Kachallah wanted to leave ANPP for AD he did so alone,"
a member of the House of Representatives who said "I
want to remain anonymous for now" told Daily Sun in Kano,
Wednesday.
Just last week, Honorable Farouk Adamu Aliyu who has been
fighting every move of the Governor and Honorable Garba Nasir
Dantiye with Miga, all members of the House of Representatives
with Saidu Dindubus, deposed speaker of the State House of
Assembly and a few other commissioners met with Governor Ibrahim
Shekarau of Kano State where they urged him to prevail on
Turaki, not to force people to follow him to the PDP.
Meanwhile, PDP State Chairman for Jigawa State, Alhaji Alto
Roni has confirmed to Saturday Sun in a telephone interview,
Thursday that "as I am speaking to you now, I am in Abuja
together with some of our party elders, we are meeting with
National Executives of our party, preparatory to Governor
Turaki’s coming over into the party; we are here at
the instruction of the Governor who invited me to Governor
House Dutse and told me of his interest to join our party
with his cabinet members. In fact, an eight-man committee,
headed by Alhaji Ahmed Hassan is working out the modalities
to receive the Governor and his people, we are happy with
the turn of events," he said.
But is the Governor aware of this development? Those close
to him said the Governor who has been holidaying in South-East
Asia for the past five weeks is in constant touch with his
people at home.
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