A fresh crisis has erupted in the Kano state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following a confrontation between the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and the state’s Deputy Gubernatorial candidate, Murtala Sule Garo.
This crisis, which analysts are saying may derail the ambition of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (the APC presidential candidate) is coming barely a week after Tinubu held a 3-day interactive meetings with party stakeholders, religious, traditional and business leaders in the state.
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It was gathered that the recent feud happened Monday night at the residence of the state’s deputy governor and governorship candidate, Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, where party stakeholders were having a meeting.
Doguwa and Garo were reported to have been involved in heated exchange of words and the ensuing confrontation reportedly led to Garo being injured.
An account of the incident said the cut was inflicted after Doguwa threw the tea cup at Garo.
This crisis is coming just few months after another crisis led by a former governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and five other national assembly members formed a G7 faction in the party nearly wrecked the party.
The crisis later culminated in the exit of Shekarau and four of the lawmakers from the APC.
APC may lose Kano if justice is not done – Doguwa
Confirming the confrontation in a press briefing on Tuesday, Doguwa admitted that he was truly not invited to the meeting at Gawuna’s residence but was only there to meet with the party’s chairman, Abdullahi Abbas.
He said he met them holding the meeting and when he saw the calibre of people at the meeting, he “jokingly” enquired why the National Assembly caucus was not represented, to which he said Garo asked him whether he must be invited to every meeting.
Doguwa said he felt slighted by this because he felt his standing as the party’s NEC member and a member of the national caucus aside being a Majority Leader of the green chamber should naturally qualify him to be in attendance.
“I was upset and felt denigrated and while complaining, Garo jumped at me and started insulting me but I initially only told him ‘thank you’ but while I was calling the deputy governor and party chairman’s attention to the insults, he continued and even attempted to grab my cloth. It was then I lost my cool and returned his insults,” he said.
As regards the tea cup and the injury, the House Leader said the cup fell while Garo was shaking the table and he (Garo) slipped from the tea that spilled from the cup and that was where he injured himself.
“I did not injure Murtala. I did not fight him but I exchanged unpleasant words with him and then my brother Aruwa moved me out of the place. The news that is going round (portraying me as the aggressor) is fake and unfounded,” he added.
He said he remained committed to the APC as always and would continue to respect the constituted authority of the party, but urged the state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to as a matter of urgency step into the crisis before it spiraled out of control and cost the party in 2023
“We are facing an unprecedented opposition”, he said referring to the growing strength of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and other parties in the state and country at large.
Efforts to get a reaction from the deputy governorship candidate of the party were not successful as of the time of filing this report as phone calls to his known mobile number rang out.
