Threat to expel me from APC a huge joke – Sen Marafa

Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa has dismissed the threat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee to expel him from the party for expressing reservations on the legality of the committee and its activities, describing it as an empty threat.

He said the party should revert to the rule of law or face extinction in the nation’s political circle.

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Marafa, who represented the Zamfara Central Senatorial District in the last assembly, had on Sunday, threatened to institute legal action against the chairman of the national caretaker committee of the APC, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State over the violation of the party’s constitution in the conduct of the party’s affairs.

The caretaker committee, through its secretary, Sen. John James Akpanudodehe, had on Monday, warned Marafa to submit to party supremacy or be sanctioned.

But reacting to the threat, Marafa said in a statement on Wednesday that he cannot be silenced by the threat of the caretaker committee.

“Expelling me from the party will only aggravate the problem.

“It will herald the beginning of the agitation; rule of law must be respected.

“The committee is illegal and alien to the constitution of the party, we are building everything on nothing.
“Rather than the expulsion threat, the committee or the chairman should respond to issues I raised.

“The function of the Mai Mala committee is to plan a convention just as its name implies, Mai Mala is the chairman of the APC convention planning committee and not APC itself.

“Section 17 (4) of the constitution of our beloved party, says ‘no officer in any organ of the party shall hold executive position office in government concurrently’.

“Article 20 states the only way the leadership of the party can evolve.

“We will show him the way out dishonourably. We would not allow the party we contributed immensely to develop to be destroyed by over-ambitious self-centred and enemies of the party and the country.

“This is the party we laboured, toiled and laid the foundation for its success.

“We will not allow those who have little or no stake in the party to destroy it or to please certain individuals and achieve their selfish interest,” Senator Marafa said.