Zamfara APC Crisis: Matawalle, Marafa factions hold parallel LG congresses 

The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara seems to be escalating as factions loyal to Governor Matawalle Bello and Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, held parallel local government congresses in the state.

This is coming barely one week after similar parallel congresses were held for the party’s 147 wards in the state by the two groups, while the faction loyal to former Governor Abdulaziz Yari has stayed away from the exercise thus far.

A source in Gusau, the state capital, said that the governor’s group had their congress at the Government House through consensus option while the Marafa faction conducted their parallel congresses at the headquarters of the 14 local government areas of the state.

State leader of the Marafa faction, Alhaji Surajo Maikatako, told newsmen shortly after the parallel congress that thousands of their members across the 14 local government areas of the state participated in the exercise.

Commending security agencies for the support given, the APC Chieftain said that the parallel congress was conducted peacefully by his group and in accordance with the guideline and constitution.

Maikatako, who is a state chairmanship aspirant, blamed the crisis in the state on the national leadership of the party, accusing it of taking sides with the governor.

He threatened that his faction had concluded a plan to institute legal action against the national leadership of the party to challenge their action.

“We are going to challenge the APC national leadership for siding with the state governor. We will go to court to compel the national leadership of the party to recognise our camp. We are the legitimate faction,” he said.

However, a faction loyal to former Governor Abdulaziz Yari’s faction said it boycotted the congress following its pending suit at the Federal High Court, Gusau.

The Publicity Secretary of Yari’s camp, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad Birnin Magaji, described the ongoing exercise as illegal.

“Our stand is that we will not be a party to illegality. The exercise they call congress to us is a charade because we have a subsisting case before the Federal High Court, Gusau,” he said.