– Zonal party positions for indigenous people
Cyril Mbah, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has initiated fence-mending strategies to enable it reclaim chairmanship positions of area councils lost to the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the Federal Capital Territory.
For example, in Kuje Area Council, the APC ceded the party chairmanship position to the Gwaghi people, who are the majority tribe in the area council while aggrieved chairmanship aspirants in the recent party primaries were directed to make peace with the APC candidate, Alhaji Hamidu Sarki Gaube, and work for his victory in the February, 2022 FCT Area Council elections.
At a recent stakeholder’s reconciliation meeting, in Kuje, Alhaji Adamu Danladi Ibrahim from Gudun Kariya ward was unanimously nominated to become the party chairman in Kuje Area Council.
The meeting was attended by two former chairmen of the council who expressed satisfaction in an interview with newsmen over the reconciliation initiative and called for peaceful co-existence of members in the party for the sake of victory at the polls.
The immediate past chairman of Kuje Area Council, Alhaji Abdullahi Danladi Galadima confirmed that there had been moves for reconciliation within the APC, adding that the party chairmanship position was zoned to Gbwarin Yamma ethnic group to pacify them.
“Leaders of the tribe met today and out of the five contestants for the position, we chose one person. We have also arrived at the decision that there is no point dragging over the congress results since we are from one family. We have, therefore, resolved to make peace and let the past become a forgotten matter.
“So, we have chosen our brother to become the new party chairman to replace the former chairman who left the party. The way forward is to win the election. Every political party wants to win elections and we are looking up to the new chairman to lead us to victory by redoubling his efforts in this regard.
“We also express our unflinching support for the chairmanship candidate of the party in Kuje Area Council, Alhaji Hamidu Sarki Gaube, and wish him success.”
Also speaking another former chairman, Chief Shaban Tete, said the peaceful resolution of the dispute in the party showed the APC as a harmonious family that will not allow petty differences to tear the party apart.
“We are all witnesses to what happened here and how we unanimously picked one person out of the four contestants to the party position and the others pledged their support for the victorious person. Everybody is happy. We believe in zoning. This is democracy in action,” Tete said.
The new party chairman, Alhaji Adamu Danladi Ibrahim Gudunkaria, in a chat, said that he would carry everybody along during his administration and he called for support from members of the party.
“I will be at the front in the campaign train and my mission is to win back Kuje Area Council for the APC. Every member should come on board and accompany us in the quest for election victory.
He expressed happiness over the respect for APC constitution saying the present party leadership had shown that party constitutions were supreme and that the way forward was for party members to embrace the party and move forward.
“There are many indications that the APC will recapture Kuje but party members must remain loyal for the party to emerge victorious during the coming elections,” Obadiah Dogo said.
Obadiah Dogo Kango, was ratified as the Kuje chairman of the APC along with ten new ward chairmen of the party last Saturday during the local government congresses of the party.