Muhammad Sani Ali, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State, has reacted to the crisis rocking the party in Daura, hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Daily Trust had reported how Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman, Chairman, Association of ex-councillors in Katsina, alleged that there were moves to replace Shehu Abdu, who was declared winner of the election, with Bala Musa, the younger brother of Lawal Musa Daura, former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
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He said the winner was currently being persecuted, alleging that a Commissioner from Daura emirate was behind the persecution.
Abdu, who was earlier detained at the state’s Criminal investigation Department (CID), was arraigned and later remanded at a Correctional centre in the state.
His detention over alleged crime is said to have paved the way for the reported imposition of Daura’s brother.
But speaking with Daily Trust, the APC chairman in Katsina said as far as the party was concerned, Abdu remains the party’s bona fide candidate, and his name had been presented to the State Independent Electoral Commission.
On the allegations against Abdu, he said the matter was in court, adding that a petition was submitted to the state leadership and an appeal committee had been set up to look into the petition.
However, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ahmad El-Marzuq, denied the allegation that he is behind Abdu’s ordeal.
He said the embattled APC candidate was arrested and detained by the police following a petition written to the state commissioner of police.
The commissioner said some people in the local government accused the candidate of obtaining money from them by false pretence.
“All the allegations against me are false. First of all, I don’t have any candidate. Let me come to the crop of the matter now; all the stakeholders know that Shehu Abdu has been in the business of duping people in the local government.
“The people he duped in some villages in Daura wrote a petition to the state commissioner of police and copied to my office that he obtained money from them, ranging from N100,000, N50,000 and different amount,” he said.
