Prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Albasu Local Government Area of Kano State have petitioned Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and the party’s State Working Committee, calling for disciplinary action against the Local Government chairman, Hon. Garba Aliyu Hungu, and the member representing Albasu Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Musa Tahir Hungu, over alleged anti-party activities.
The petitioners accused the two political officeholders of fraternising with Alhaji Kasim Ibrahim Bataiya, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) senatorial candidate for Kano South, and allegedly working against the interests of the APC and its senatorial candidate, Senator Kawu Sumaila.
The petition, reportedly signed by more than 300 party officials and leaders across the Wards and Local Government levels, called on the governor and the APC leadership in Kano to investigate the allegations and determine whether the actions of the two officials violated the party’s constitution.
According to the petitioners, the relationship between the two officeholders and Bataiya dates back to their previous political affiliation.
They alleged that the NDC candidate had played a role in helping the two officials secure their respective political tickets before they emerged under the APC.
They claimed that the relationship had continued despite the differences in their current party affiliations, raising concerns among APC stakeholders about the loyalty of the two officials to the party.
The petitioners further alleged that some elected councillors, political appointees and local government party officials had continued to participate in activities organised by the NDC senatorial candidate, with some allegedly attending his campaign rallies and encouraging support for his candidacy.
One of the major allegations in the petition was that the Albasu Local Government Chairman provided the local government town hall to Bataiya for political meetings and the launch of his senatorial campaign.
The petitioners also accused the chairman and the state lawmaker of frustrating efforts by party elders to investigate the alleged involvement of some APC Councillors and executive committee members in the opposition candidate’s campaign activities.
They said a fact-finding committee had been established by the political leadership of Albasu Local Government, under Dr. Yunusa Adamu Dangwani, to examine the allegations.
However, the petitioners alleged that the two officeholders denied the committee the opportunity to carry out its assignment.
The stakeholders further accused the Local Government leadership of failing to organise meetings with members of the APC legacy group, despite what they described as clear directives from the Governor and the party leadership.
According to the petition, a meeting was held once through the intervention of the member representing Albasu, Gaya and Ajingi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, but subsequent attempts to convene further meetings allegedly failed because of the Local Government chairman’s lack of commitment.
On the distribution of government empowerment programmes, the petitioners alleged that benefits intended for party members and supporters had frequently been diverted to individuals they described as loyalists of the NDC senatorial candidate.
They expressed concern that genuine APC members in Albasu had been marginalised in the distribution of such benefits, calling for greater accountability in the implementation of state government programmes at the grassroots.
The petitioners also cited the mobilisation of party members for the presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna as another example of what they described as inadequate support for the APC.
They alleged that while other Local Governments provided 30 buses or more to transport party members to the event, the Albasu chairman provided only 17 buses.
Another issue raised in the petition concerned the continued participation of the current Amirul Hajj in NDC activities.
The petitioners alleged that the individual had retired from public service about two years ago but had yet to be replaced by the Local Government leadership.
The stakeholders argued that the allegations, if established, could undermine party discipline, unity and the APC’s electoral prospects in Albasu and the wider Kano South Senatorial District.
They, therefore, called on Governor Yusuf, as the APC leader in Kano State, and the party’s State Working Committee to examine the relevant provisions of Article 21 of the APC constitution and determine whether the alleged activities of Garba Aliyu Hungu and Musa Tahir Hungu constitute anti-party conduct punishable under the party’s rules.
They also urged the party leadership to invite the two officials to respond to the allegations before taking any disciplinary action, stressing the need for a fair and impartial investigation based on verifiable evidence.
The petitioners maintained that their action was motivated by the need to protect the interests of the APC, promote accountability and strengthen party cohesion at the grassroots.
They said the petition was not intended to malign any individual or prejudge the outcome of an investigation, but to draw the attention of the party leadership to issues they considered serious enough to warrant urgent intervention.
The petition was signed by Hon. Adamu Abdu Fanda, Caucus Chairman; Hon. Wada Ibrahim Daho, Caucus Secretary; former member of the Kano State House of Assembly, Hon. Sunusi Usman Bataiya; Isyaka Danyaya, Albasu APC Deputy Chairman; and several other local government and ward party officials.
All efforts to contact Hon. Garba Aliyu Hungu and Hon. Musa Tahir Hungu for their response to the allegations prove abbortive.
The petition reads:
His Excellency,
Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf,
The Executive Governor of Kano State,
Through:The State Chairman,
All Progressives Congress,
Kano State Chapter.
PETITION AGAINST MEMBER REPRESENTING ALBASU CONSTITUENCY IN THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY AND THE CHAIRMAN OF ALBASU LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Dear Sir,
We respectfully write to bring to the attention of the appropriate leadership of our great party the anti-party activities of the above two (2) office holders (Hon. Musa Tahir Hungu and Hon. Garba Aliyu Hungu). The ground for this petition is based on the nature of association between the duos and the Candidate of New Democratic Congress (NDC) contesting for Senator in Kano South Senatorial District (Alh. Kasim Bataiya) and their failure to support legitimate party members.
Their loyalty to Alh. Kasim Bataiya of NDC owes largely to his role in helping them secure their ticket into the various offices under the former Political Party. This romance between them continued up to now despite the party difference.
The Chairman, the State House of Assembly, some of our councillors, local government party chairman, local government centre officer and some local government party exco which are still loyal to Alh. Kasim Bataiya of NDC.
In fact, some are openly campaigning for him. The last time a committee of 5 members was set by the current leader of the Albasu Local Government in person of Dr. Yunusa Adamu Dangwani to investigate this matter, but the State Assembly member and Local Government Chairman denied the committee the opportunity to carry out their assignment.Below are the reasons/basis for our complaint:
1 The chairman gave the Albasu Local Government town hall for the NDC senatorial candidate to launch is candidacy.
2Some of the elected and appointees of the local government are joining the candidates of NDC to campaign rallies.
3 The current Amirul Hajj is fully participating in NDC activities and has retired from public service two years ago. Stil, the Local Government Chairman and State Assembly member refused to replace him.
4 Most of the empowerment from state government where usually diverted; loyal party members have not benefited.
5 The APC party chairman of Albasu local government is a strong supporter of and loyalist of the NDC senatorial candidate; he has been talking to some people to vote NDC in the Senatorial election.
6 The state government has directed all the 44 local government chairmen to take 30 vehicles to attend the first presential flag off campaign in Kaduna, but only 17 vehicles were hired to convey the APC members in Albasu by the chairman.
7 Despite several directives given by the executive governor to schedule a meeting with APC legacy group, the meeting was hold one time which was convey by the member house of reps Albasu/Gaya/Ajingi and several attempts was made to hold again but prove abortive due to non chalant attitude of the Chairman.
This development has raised serious concerns among party members, stakeholders, supporters, and loyalists of APC in Albasu Local Government Area, particularly regarding their commitment to the principles, unity, and objectives of our party.As committed members and supporters of our party, we believe that every elected representative and political officeholder associated with the party has a responsibility to uphold its constitution, respect its leadership, and demonstrate loyalty to its collective decisions and political objectives.In view of these concerns, we respectfully request that the party leadership:
1. Conduct a thorough investigation into the alleged association and political activities of the individuals concerned with the NDC.
2. Determine whether any party rules or constitutional provisions have been violated by their actions, based on credible evidence and the applicable rules.
3. Invite the individuals concerned to respond to the allegations and provide any necessary clarification before a decision is reached.
4. Take appropriate disciplinary or administrative action, where justified by the findings of the investigation and in accordance with the party’s constitution and applicable laws.
We wish to emphasize that this petition is submitted in good faith and in the interest of transparency, accountability, discipline, and the continued unity of our party. It is not intended to malign any individual or prejudge the outcome of an investigation.
Rather, it is a formal request for the party leadership to examine the matter objectively and take appropriate action based on verified facts.We trust that the leadership will give this matter the serious attention it deserves and take the necessary steps to safeguard the interests of the party and its members in Albasu Local Government Area.Thank you for your attention and anticipated consideration.