The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, has said that the threat by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, to dump the APC was immaterial as he (Ata) has never been a member of the party (APC).
It will be recalled that the minister had threatened to leave the APC if the Kano State party chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, was re-elected as the party’s chairman for a fourth term.
However, but surprisingly, on Monday again, Hon Ata quickly denied the statement, saying that he was misquoted and adding that he did not threaten to dump the APC.
According to Abbas, “Even the appointment of Yusuf Abdullahi Atta as minister by President Bola Tinubu was a surprise as he is not a party member.”
The APC state chairman made this known in an interview with the BBC Hausa in Kano on Monday, monitored by the correspondent, while responding to the recent remarks made by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, in which he threatened to dump the party.
Abbas told the BBC that Yusuf Ata “is not a party member,” and they were surprised at the reasons behind his appointment as a minister.
“For us in the party, he was never a party member. In the whole of Kano, in his local government, we came third.”
“We didn’t even know when he was appointed as a minister. We even told the president that he is not our party member, that he engaged in anti-party activities,” he said.
Abbas said his ambition is to become the governor of the state, not to remain the chairman of the party.
The minister’s strong remarks in a viral video over the weekend further exposed the political crack in the Kano APC.
Also, in a statement issued by SA Media to the Minister, Adamu Aminu, on Sunday night, the minister emphasized the need for party leaders to refrain from utterances that disrespect the Almighty God.
Ata attributed the repeated mantra of “Koda Tsiya, Koda Tsiya-Tsiya” to the custodian of the party leadership throne in Kano State APC, describing it as a blatant disregard for the supremacy of God.
He warned that such utterances could have severe consequences, including divine wrath and electoral defeat.
The minister called upon the national party chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to unite the party and bring order to its members.
He stressed that it is the duty of party leaders to correct any member who engages in verbal disobedience to God, and to ensure that the party’s actions align with the values of its religious-minded members.
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