All Progressives Congress (APC) has described media reports of the purported suspension of the party's national chairman, Dr Abdulahi Ganduje by the executive committee of the Ganduje Ward in the Dawakin Tofa local government area of Kano State as "devious act of a group of impersonators."
APC, in a statement signed by its national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, said the perpetrators of the "criminal act are not card-carrying members of the party in the ward but individuals affiliated with senior officials and representatives of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP)."
Also, the party's stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned APC Members (CAM) have denounced the purported suspension of Ganduje by "impostors" from Kano State.
Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, the convener of CAM, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, highlighted the gravity of the situation, calling it an invasion of their party.
Morka said the purported suspension was the devious act of a group of impersonators of Ward officials out to cause mischief and create confusion in the otherwise peaceful Ganduje Ward chapter of the party.
"This act procured by officials of the ruling NNPP in Kano is part of the despicable programme of political persecution launched by the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf against Dr. Ganduje, a former governor of Kano state.
"The purported suspension is downright criminal, and of no effect whatsoever. The legitimate Executive Committee of the Ganduje Ward has since denounced the action and reaffirmed Dr. Ganduje as a bonafide member of the party in the ward, and in good standing."
He revealed that the party had filed a petition with the Inspector General of Police requesting an expedited investigation into the matter so that the perpetrators and their sponsors are brought to justice.
The statement urged party faithful and the general public to disregard reports of the suspension of the national chairman.
He further stated that the impostors even went as far as using the name of their party's legal adviser in Ganduje ward to announce the purported suspension of their hardworking national chairman without the prior consent of the said legal adviser.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Ogenyi said it is obvious that the Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso-led faction of the NNPP is ready to return to the APC but does not want to join their party with Ganduje as the national chairman.
He said the Kwankwasiyya Movement had even wished Ganduje dead before now and could do anything to ensure his removal as the national chairman of the party.
He said, "It may interest you to note that Kwankwaso and governor Kabir Abba Yusuf, alongside Buba Galadima, went into an alliance with some North Central APC elders to push for the removal of Ganduje, but the North Central APC elders, led by former senate president Ameh Ebute, boldly passed a vote of confidence on the national chairman Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his working committee members based on his credible performance as the national chairman of their party.
Ogenyi stated that Kwankwaso and his co-travelers have now devised means of causing more disaffection by trying to get the ward exco of Ganduje ward of Kano State to suspend the national chairman but could not get any, so they resorted to impersonating some of the exco members in order to mislead the general public.
He stressed that the 27-member exco was intact and had since addressed the press and disassociated themselves from the purported suspension.
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"In view of the above narrative, our democracy is in clear danger and this threat is coming from an emerging terrorist organization known as the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
"It was obvious when one of the fanatic Kwankwasiyya members refused to remove his red cap as a mark of loyalty to the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement," he said.
CAM called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the impostors, urging law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to preserve the integrity of the party and democracy.
He said failure to address this issue promptly could set a dangerous precedent, opening the door for similar acts of sabotage within the party and beyond.
