Zamfara APC crisis: Marafa faction to sue Buni’s panel for ‘siding with Matawalle’

The faction of Kabir Marafa, former senator representing Zamfara central, says it will sue the All Progressives Congress (APC) national caretaker committee led by Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor, for allegedly taking sides with the faction of Bello Matawalle, Zamfara governor.

The Marafa faction and that of Abdulaziz Yari, former Zamfara governor, have expressed dismay over the way the party handled the ward congress in the state about two weeks ago.

While the Marafa faction held its own congress and elected its leaders, the Yari faction boycotted the process and went to court.

There has been some rift in the party since Matawalle defected to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement on Saturday, Surajo Maikatako, leader of the Marafa faction, commended the security agencies for a peaceful conduct of the parallel ward congress in the state.

“We are going to challenge the APC national leadership for siding with the state governor,” he said.

“We will go to court to compel the national leadership of the party to recognize our camp. We are the legitimate faction.”

Ibrahim Magaji, publicity secretary of the Yari group, said ward congress conducted by the APC in the state was illegal.

“Our stand is that we will not be party to an illegality,” Magaji said.

“The exercise they call congress to us is a charade because we have a subsisting case before the federal high court, Gusau.”

Marafa has since argued that the party should have given party members a 21-day notice before conducting the ward congress, instead of 24 hours.

The former senator said the move by the party is alien to section 85 of the electoral act, adding that by law, the electoral body should be given a 21-day notice before a congress of any party is held.