Party crisis: Buhari calls off Zamfara rally

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday abruptly called off the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally scheduled for Sunday in Zamfara ostensibly because of the internal wrangling within the state chapter of the ruling party.

The advance team of the president, which had already been dispatched to the state, was recalled to Abuja on Friday.

The rally has now been rescheduled for Sunday, February 10 by which time frayed tempers are expected to have calmed down.

The crisis has caused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decline the lists of political office candidates from the party in the state.

One of the major actors in the Zamfara APC crisis, Senator Kabiru Mafara, representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District, told State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday that they did not want the president to come to the state for any campaign rally.

He said President Buhari did not need to worry as individual political groups will organized different rallies on his behalf in the state

Marafa said he did not want Governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari, to claim credit for any rally in which the president may participate.

He said: “I just submitted a proposal which I think will serve the interest of our party, the president and our people.

“We don’t have candidates for now because of the political impasse that characterised Zamfara State in the last few months and the president is billed to be in Zamfara on Sunday, Feb. 3

“Because of the rumble between disagreeing parties, we felt it is better Mr President suspends his visit to Zamfara. After all, we are there; we can campaign for him; he knows us; he knows our individual capacities.

“There is no point bringing all the factions under on umbrella because once the president is there, if you like the president and you are with him, you will like to show your face. However, we feel it is avoidable; but you cannot come to the president with just one single suggestion.

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“So. I just put my opinion across; that if it is a must;  maybe the party has fixed Feb. 3 for the visit, then we want to be excused because there is no way President Muhammad Buhari will go to Zamfara and my face is not seen and is not seen and people will not ask questions.  And I think it is not fair just to be absent like that.

“We are not doing what we are doing to impress anybody. We have already gotten all the necessary trust and belief from Mr President.  Even if he is not there, we will do the right thing.

“But if the party or the Presidential Campaign Council feel they must be in Zamfara on Sunday, we and our supporters want to be excused and we will conduct our own rally for the president on a different date and we will televise it live on NTA so that everybody can see.

“So, let everybody show his support in Zamfara, not to come together and then everybody will be claiming the victory that I pulled this crowd. Let everybody stand on his own.

“The most important thing is that we all believe in Mr President and we all like him and we will support him and we want him to win.

“So, let us work individually, and Feb. 16, we will all converge on the box and show what we can do but let the people of Nigeria see us individually.”