National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), North West, Hon. Garba Datti Muhammad, has asked the immediate past Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to desist from castigating and deriding the worthy leaders of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) — one of the legacy parties that formed the ruling APC.
Hon. Datti, who is also the Chairman of Board of National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), said the CPC bloc in the APC remains dedicated, committed, and steadfast to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, noting that they would continue to support the President just as former President, Muhammadu Buhari declared.
Following the recent defection of a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai, — a CPC member — from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), there were insinuations that some key members of the defunct CPC bloc within the ruling party would follow suit.
However, former President, Buhari, who was the CPC leader, had since distanced himself from El-Rufai’s defection and restated his commitment to the APC, declaring support for President Tinubu’s administration.
Furthermore, some key figures from the CPC bloc within the APC had last week declared that their bloc does not have any plans to abandon the APC. They also declared their unalloyed support to the APC-led government under the able leadership of President Tinubu.
The CPC bloc included a former governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura; a former speaker of the House of Representatives and ex-governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari; Buhari’s Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu; a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Faruk Adamu Aliyu, among many others.
But Malami, in a statement, said the CPC bloc leaders should only speak for themselves and not the entire bloc.
However, in a press release issued in Abuja on Sunday, Hon. Datti, who recently wrote a widely circulated open letter to the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and el-Rufai, said Malami lacked any merit to attack the CPC leaders.
“I was utterly stupefied when I saw the statement credited to Malami. What he tried to do was to deride and denigrate the key figures of the CPC bloc in the APC.
“It is laughable that Malami had the temerity to castigate Al-Makura, who was the only governor elected on the CPC platform in 2011. Maybe he should also be reminded that Masari was the Deputy National Chairman of the APC during its formation — the highest office held by a CPC bloc member during the merger.
“Both Al-Makura and Masari are political heavyweights, who won governorship elections twice. They are not like Malami, who is a political lightweight, a paper tiger, and a politician without electoral value.
“During the CPC struggles, the party did not win even a councillorship seat in Kebbi, Malami’s home state. Lest we forget, Malami had obtained the APC governorship forms to contest for the governor of Kebbi State in 2023. But he chickened out, having sensed that he did not possess the electoral value to clinch the ticket. So, of what benefit is he to any political movement?,” the APC National Vice Chairman said.
Hon. Datti, who served as the CPC House of Reps Caucus Leader between 2011 and 2015, added that Malami and his co-travelers were only trying to reap where they did not sow, having worked tirelessly against the APC during the presidential election — for President Tinubu to lose the polls.
“It is still fresh in our memories that the likes of Malami constituted themselves as the powerful cabal under the Buhari government, and worked vigorously against the candidature of President Tinubu.
“Even before the 2023 presidential contest, right from Buhari’s first term in office, they made sure that Tinubu was effectively sidelined and marginalized in the scheme of things. But Asiwaju did not rock the boat; he stayed put in the party and remained committed to its ideals.
“Today, the Malamis of this world, having realized that they could not eat their cake and have it, have now resorted to political gyration, all in an attempt to dump the same party that made them what they are today. Why not emulate Tinubu?”
The APC National Vice Chairman, North West, reminded Malami that the CPC bloc in the current government is adequately represented as its members hold key positions.
“For the record, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, GCON, is of the CPC bloc; Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago of Niger State, and Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State all came from the CPC. The Minister of Environment, Malam Balarabe Lawal Abbas; the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa; the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman were all from the CPC. We also have three senators from Katsina State from the CPC. I can go on and on to name key CPC figures in the current government.
“I want to once again make it categorically clear to Malami that we do not intend to leave the APC for whatever reason. We are satisfied with President Tinubu’s stewardship, and we will continue to support him,” Hon. Muhammad said.
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