As the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Katsina State commences its congresses next Saturday, a frontline member of the party, Senator Abubakar-Sadiq Yaradua has lauded the move by Governor Aminu Bello Masari to provide a level playing field for stakeholders and prospective contestants ahead of the party’s congresses.
In a chat with newsmen at his residence in Katsina, the former lawmaker said by decentralizing the process of selecting officials to conduct the congresses, the governor had taken step in ensuring Internal democracy and fair play in the run-up to the party primaries and elections come 2023.
“Following the hues and cries from the party’s stakeholders in the state, the Governor intervened by taking measures that will not allow the party structure to favour one candidate over the others as this will breed rancour and create cracks within the APC, and this is the eve of electioneering, what the party needs right now is unity which can only be achieved if the party’s members are treated fairly and equitably.
“The timely intervention by the governor, and the choice of credible and principled officials as committee members to coordinate the forthcoming party congresses has restored the confidence of the party members, stakeholders and prospective contestants that want to vie for various positions in the next elections” he addad
Senator Yaradua noted that justice and fairness to contestants would avert a repeat of the ill-fated 2019 electoral victory of the APC in Zamfara State where the Supreme Court nullified the party’s primary elections and revoked the certificates of return of officials elected under the platform of the party in the state.
According to him,“This decision to appoint a committee to coordinate the process has saved Katsina State APC from political crisis because if the congresses were conducted shabbily and the outcome favours one candidate over the others, then what happened in Zamfara State would be child’s play compared to what would happen in Katsina”, .
Yaradua therefore, called on the APC leadership at all levels to present credible people with track record of excellence in public service as flag-bearers of the party in the 2023 general elections.
He said only by so-doing would the party maintain its lead as a ruling party in order to consolidate its achievements in delivering dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
The former Senator who represented Katsina Central at the Senate, dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the support base of the APC might dwindle in the run-up to the 2023 general elections, affirming that the party would wax stronger.
“As politicians we can read the writing on the wall, it is obvious that the APC is waxing stronger, we have seen of recent how a governor and several lawmakers defected to the party with many more in the process.
“For you to convince such bigwigs that were elected on the platform of another party to defect to your party is no mean achievement by the interim management of the party and I assure you APC is the winning party come 2023“, Yaradua affirmed.
While commending the APC-led administrations at the federal and Katsina State levels for their efforts at maintaining security and transforming the economy, the APC stalwart called for a systemic change in politics and governance for sustainable national development.
Asked about his rumoured intention to contest the state’s gubernatorial seat in 2023, the ex-Senator said he was in consultations with his political associates.
Cov/Isma’il Adamu, Katsina