We are not afraid of your threats – APC Forum to Rijau, National Vice Chairman North-Central

Forum 1 day ago

We are not afraid of your threats – APC Forum to Rijau, National Vice Chairman North-Central

The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has knocked the party’s National Vice Chairman, North-Central, Muazu Bawa Rijau over his claims that ‘faceless’ support groups are being sponsored to attack the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume.

Rijau, in a statement he jointly signed with the North-Central Zonal Secretary, Yakubu Adamu, on Saturday, had threatened legal action over attacks on Akume, warning that such would no longer be condoned.

The APC North-Central Forum, although not mentioned by Rijau, had in the past criticized the SGF over alleged lopsided appointments, and failure to carry the North-Central along.

The APC Forum had also accused the SGF of sponsoring attacks on Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia. The Forum warned that Akume’s actions could lead to the APC losing Benue State to the opposition.

Reacting to Rijau’s comments on Sunday, the APC North-Central Forum, in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC presidential campaign in the 2023 election, noted that Rijau had not joined the APC when the group was registered as a recognized support group in the party.

The APC Forum had been championing the agitation for the North-Central to be allowed to produce the party’s national chairman in line with the zoning arrangement.

The agitation led the Forum to demand the removal or resignation of APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, and his replacement with somebody from the North-Central. The North-Central APC Forum eventually suspended the call for Ganduje’s removal.

The North-Central APC Forum, in response to Rijau’s comments, accused the vice chairman North-Central of working with the SGF against Governor Alia.

The Forum added that Rijau supported and ‘sponsored’ the agitation for Ganduje’s removal because he nursed the ambition to replace him as national chairman.

“Rijau was not even a member of the APC when the North-Central APC Forum was registered as a support group of the party.

“When the North-Central APC Forum was fighting the national chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, insisting that he should resign or be removed to pave way for somebody from the North-Central to take over, the vice chairman North-Central did not make any comment on the agitation because he was interested in becoming the national chairman himself.

“When there was an orchestrated move to strategically push the Benue State governor – the only Christian APC governor in North-Central Nigeria – Rijau never made any comment.

“And today that the North-Central APC Forum came up to save the party from chaos by insisting that whosoever, irrespective of how highly placed they are, that are maligning the governor of Benue State, that such should stop and that Mr President should take decisive action against such individuals, Rijau has come out to talk.

“Yes we are aware that Rijau has been working with the dissolved APC chairman in Benue, Austin Agada, who is a stooge of the SGF, Senator George Akume.

“Recently, there has been moves by the APC national vice chairman North-Central to replace Ganduje as national chairman. But we as a group came to realize that the SGF and the national chairman cannot be in the same zone and therefore we felt that for now that the SGF is still in the North-Central, there is no need for further agitation against the APC national chairman.

“If Rijau is claiming that the APC North-Central Forum is being sponsored against some individuals, then should he say that he has been sponsoring us against Abdullahi Ganduje in the past? If he want to say that he didn’t sponsor the APC North-Central Forum then he should bring evidence of those that sponsored us against the SGF.”

The statement stressed that the Forum, as a collective of “genuine and sincere” APC stakeholders, is fighting for the good of the North-Central and would not be intimidated into allowing “self-seeking political leaders to undermine the progress of the zone”.

The Forum asked Rijau to step down from the position of APC national vice chairman North-Central if he does not know his job.

“As the vice chairman North-Central, he should not take sides or be part of anything that could destabilize the APC in the zone. He should accommodate all interests and broker peace when there are disagreements.

“The North-Central APC Forum has never taken sides on any issue, rather we have been a voice of reason, calling for calm and unity in the interest of the party in the zone. Even our criticism of the actions of the SGF was not disrespectful, it was constructive.

“Unfortunately, Muazu Bawa Rijau has not shown strong and effective leadership to move the APC in the North-Central forward. We, as stakeholders, have proved that we are the ones on ground, keeping the party united.”

Responding to Rijau’s threat of legal action, the APC Forum said it is not afraid.

“We are ready for any legal action; nobody can stop us from fighting for the good of the APC in the North-Central and the nation as a whole. The party belongs to the members and not just some few self-serving officials. We are not afraid.”