APC is almost dead in Bauchi – Ex-Misau LG party chairman says
By Mohammed Kaka Misau
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former chairman of the party in Misau local government area of Bauchi state, Shehu Aliyu has said that the party in the state is already almost a dead one.
Shehu who was speaking in an exclusive interview with our Corresspondent noted that the leadership of the party in the state has failed in its responsibilities.
“APC now has only the name but honestly speaking, APC from the local government level in Misau up to the state level, since the present chairman took over, I can say that it is dead and we don’t know God’s willing, what will resurrect it tomorrow”, he said.
Shehu said, “when you compare now with the time we were leading and also the time Uba Nana was the chairman of APC in Bauchi, if you go to party offices you will know that APC is existing because it was always a beehive of activities, you will see party members coming from different parts of the state bringing Minor complaints or you will see our Youths going in and out of the party Secretariat because they are being taken care of”.
The APC chieftain who lamented that the party Secretariat in Bauchi has now become a rubble, added that the Misau LG party Secretariat where himself and the state Chairman of the part come from has become a ghost of its own.
“If you look at Misau local government area, when I was the APC chairman here, it was a beehive of activities, everybody is aware of this fact, we were carrying out so many Programmes in order to strengthen and promote the party, we were always in contact with the people, in terms of mourning, in terms of celebration and whatever, we were with the people but now tell me in Misau where you will go and find three people sitting in any structure of the APC talk more of holding any party program”, Shehu explained.
According to him, “APC has become like a market just like Ahmed Yerima said, for its leaders, from Misau my local government up to the state level Bauchi, they came with their shops just to get something and they have succeeded and now they don’t even care whether the APC succeeds or not, that’s not their business”.
“Let me give you an example, now in Misau local government, the person that was brought in as its chairman has not been a resident of Misau for over 25 years, now tell me what he knows about Misau and its politics, he is not here in Misau with his family as I am talking to you now, if you see him in Misau that means they have gotten some money to share, it has even reached to a stage that now when they sit down, you will see them fighting one another, they would be insulting one another, that’s what they do, I am not lying”, Shehu further revealed.
“If you turn to state level, Ahmed Yerima has said it, the Chairman came with his shop and is getting what he want and he doesn’t care about the progress of the party, he doesn’t care about its unity just like it used to be in the past where you would see them gather party leaders across the 20 LGs of the state and discuss issues for the progress of the party, that one is not there now. Have you seen any progress in the APC now? Look at the caliber of people that left the party, look at the caliber of people that have folded their hands and are watching from a far, they are not saying anything because they have been betrayed, they have been maltreated, they have been defrauded”, he said.
Shehu alleged that, they went and collected money from some bigwigs of the party by pretending to them and now the lies have been exposed.
Shehu who said many of the party members have left because there is no leadership, justice and fairness, maintained that the leadership style in Bauchi state is dictatorial which he said doesn’t work now a days.
“You can do it at the party level but can’t do it when it comes to general election because the electorates have their own power, they own their PVCs and you can’t force them to do what you want, they have the franchise to vote any candidate of their own choice”, the party Chieftain said.
He said that the supporters of former governor M.A Abubakar are leaving the party because the party leadership in the state has not considered him as someone despite holding the number one political seat in the state.
“If they had respected him as a former gov, his supporters wouldn’t have been bolting out of the party, there is no way you can sideline someone who has governed the state for good four years under the party no matter how much you hate him. For him to have governed the state for four years his name has entered the political history of Bauchi state among those that governed it and there is nothing one can do about it, you can not erase it, even if you don’t love him he has made history”, he noted.
Shehu said no matter how much one hates M.A at the mention of APC in Bauchi, the former has left legacy in the party because he nurtured it.
Shehu pointed out that the former governor has his supporters in the APC such that neglecting him might cost the party in 2023.
Shehu said M.A who was defeated because some people played anti party against him should have been considered for appointment at the federal government.
He said that many of those who were appointed into the federal positions are not as competent as M.A Abubakar is no matter his incapability as people may think.
Shehu further asserted that the former Bauchi governor Abubakar is better and more competent than those that have been given the federal appointment.
“If federal government had appointed him, his followers would have not left the party but they felt he is no body and they refused to give him federal appointment despite his competency”, he lamented.
“Didn’t you hear what Sarkin Malaman Misau said recently? He said anti party is legal now in APC because it was done in the past because the present crop of party leaders at both the state and federal government did anti party and the party was defeated at the governorship polls in Bauchi, Ahmed Yerima said it”, he said.
The APC chieftain said if such thing continue, it will mortgage the chances of the party ahead 2023.
“You have heard my recent interview with newsmen, I reached out to the APC Gubernatorial candidate through the interview, I informed him about the lapses going on in the party, if I don’t love him I wouldn’t have made the call. I informed him about the lapses in the local governments, though not all but many of them, but as for the party chairman in the, it has fallen down to shoulder, he is not leading the party to success and I even mentioned my reasons”, Shehu said
The party chieftain who said time is running out, expressed regret that the party leaders have always paid no attention to complaints.
“What they always do is, if someone reported to them that so so person has defected from the party, they will say Kai! forget about him, what is he capable of doing? With or without him the party will win. Is that how leadership is supposed to be? Shehu further revealed.
He advised the gubernatorial candidate of the party to look at the party leadership and restructure it by bringing in people with integrity to pilot the affairs of the party or else, the party is going no where in 2023.
