APC should expel Yari, Marafa for flouting party Constitution – Shinkafi

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called for the immediate expulsion of a former Governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’Aziz Yari, and Senator Kabiru Marafa from the party for contravening the APC’s constitution.

Shinkafi said, on Friday, in Abuja that the severe sanctions against Yari, Marafa and their supporters had become expedient as they have contravened the constitution of the party and flouted the directives of the National leadership of the party.

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According to him, his stance was coming on the heels of a meeting held by Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, Yari, Senator Kabiru Marafa and others in Kaduna after the official defection of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle and his supporters to the APC on Tuesday.

Shinkafi, the immediate past national secretary of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), who also defected to the APC with Governor Matawalle, said stringent action must be taken against Yari and Marafa to serve as deterrent to others.

He described the meeting held in Kaduna by Yari, Marafa and their supporters where they denounced the directives of the national leadership of the party on the dissolution of the party’s executives at all levels in the state as a slap on the face of President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leadership of the party.

“The actions of Abdul’Aziz Yari and Senator Kabiru Marafa clearly violated Article 21 (a), (iii) and (iv) of the Constitution of All Progressives Congress, 2014 as amended.

“Article 21 of the APC Constitution provides for the powers to discipline party members.

“The section says that ‘The Power shall be exercised on behalf of the Party by the respective Executive Committee of the Party at all levels’.

“Specifically, Article 21 (a) prescribes that: ‘Offences against the Party shall include the following: i. A breach of any provision of this Constitution. ii. Anti-Party activities or any conduct, which is likely to embarrass or have an adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute. iii. Disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the Party,” Shinkafi said.

He said that Yari, Marafa and their supporters should note that nobody is above the law, therefore the directive by the chairman of the national caretaker committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni, dissolving the state party’s executives from the ward, local government and state levels and also the appointment of governor Matawalle as the leader of APC in Zamfara is sacrosanct.

“As from 29th June 2021, Governor Matawalle has been bestowed with the position of APC leader in Zamfara State.

“As such, any action taken by any member of the party was a violation of the party’s constitution.

“I am surprised that Yari, who told the world that he would support Matawalle to build the party and the state, could now go back to Kaduna and hold another meeting challenging the national Caretaker Committee Chairman,” he said.

He also appealed to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai, to steer clear of Zamfara State politics as he had no mandate or right to interfere in the internal issues of the party in Zamfara.