Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said those faulting his recent visit to the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are enemies of the party keen on destabilising it at all costs.
Sule, chairman of the APC North Central Governors’ Forum, also said his visit was not to endorse the national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje who was already in office.
He said governors as key party stakeholders have unfettered access to the party’s national secretariat and its helmsman at any time.
The governor, in a statement signed by his special adviser on Political Affairs Dr Kassim Muh’d Kassim, said it was mischievous for anyone to connect the visit to an endorsement of the national chairman to remain in office.
The clarification came on the heels of media reports attributed to a group, the “North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum” and its chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, accusing the governor of trying to undermine the chance of the North Central to retake the party’s national championship seat.
The governor however said those faulting him for the visit were enemies of the party and keen on destabilising it at all costs.
According to him, the governor was at the secretariat on the invitation of the national party chairman to rob minds on ways to resolve the crisis rocking the party in Benue State in his position as the chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum.
He said during the visit, the leaders also discussed the forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States and the need for the party’s stakeholders to unite with the aim of winning the two states.
The governor said it was shocking for a group which claimed to be working for the interest of the party to condemn him for the visit and allude it to an endorsement of the national chairman.
“The recent attack on Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule by one Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga a self acclaimed chairman of a faceless group, which referred to itself as “North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum”, for visiting the National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, was in bad taste.
“In a purported interview credited to him, Zazzaga made a so-called call for an apology from the governor. The said Zazzaga “condemned” Governor Sule, who is the Chairman of the APC North Central Governors’ Forum for “endorsing” the party’s national chiarman.
“In the apparently sponsored outing syndicated in selected national newspapers, Zazzaga, acting the script of his pay masters, attempted to weep up emotion and hatred against Governor Sule across the North Central by connecting the visit to the national chairmanship seat struggle and the ongoing agitation to return it back to the zone.
“In his desperation and that of his sponsors, Zazzaga also unsuccessfully tried to ignite sentiment in Governor Sule’s home state by pitching him against notable figure like the former National Chairman of our dear party and a father of the state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and others, even as he veered off the track by bringing the issue of performance into the fray.
“Now, how does a visit to the national secretariat of our great party amounted to an endorsement of a man who is already occupying the seat?
“What motive does Zazzaga have for quoting Governor Sule out of contest? How does Governor Sule’s speech to the effect that: “I am here also to pay my respect to a man that deserves respect. To our National Chairman, Dr Ganduje. He deserves respect and deserves all the cooperation, especially at a time like this. In the next couple of weeks, we have an election in Edo, so the man does not need to be distracted in any other way so that we can go and win our election in Edo, and that is one of the reasons why I came to encourage him to be focused,’ translated to an endorsement?
“But unknown to Zazzaga and his sponsors, Governor Sule was at the national secretariate of the party on a special invitation, as chairman of North Central Governor’s forum to find a solution to resolve the APC crisis in one of the state from the zone, “Benue state ” and he mentioned the elections in Edo because he is the publicity committee chairman for the party’s national campaign in Edo governorship election,” the statement explained.
He queried why anyone who wants the best for the party as the group and its chairman made the public to believe, would crucify Governor Sule for calling on stakeholders to rally behind Ganduje to enable the national chairman deliver Edo and Ondo for the party in the forthcoming governorship election in those states.
“It is public knowledge that the governorship election for Edo State was slated for September 21 while that of Ondo is coming up on November 16. If the party’s stakeholders don’t put their houses in order and act collectively now how will it hope to win those states?
“From all indications those faulting Governor Sule for calling for the stakeholders’ unity at this crucial time when the polls for the two strategic states are at hand do not mean well for the party and want it to lose.
“That is why it is imperative to initiate a probe to unmasked those using Zazzaga to further distablise the party because of their parochial interest. I don’t think Zazzaga is from Plateau State because if people like Zazzaga exist yet, we lost Plateau to opposition,” he stated.