The Akida group in the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kaduna State, has stated that the recently-conducted local government election in the state has showed that Governor Nasir El-Rufai has lost popular support through his purported anti-people policies.
This was contained in a statement issued by the chairman of Akida APC in the state, Mataimaki Tom Maiyashi, which read in part, “The elections into local government councils showed the crude, incompetent and wasteful attempt to show a government in control where it has lost popular support through its serial anti-people policies.
“The attempts to cover up embarrassing setbacks and verdicts have not escaped the people. The elections would have been a strong warning to any administration, except the one run by Nasir el-Rufai which is quite comfortable in living with its own lies.
“It has become painfully aware that all efforts to halt the damage being done to our party, including many attempts by the leadership of the APC at zonal and national levels, are unlikely to reverse the decline in our party’s capacity to live up to its promises made to the people in 2015.”
The Akida APC said it has concluded a review of the state of the party and governance issues in Kaduna state and the country at large, saying, “Two significant events, the party congresses and the Local Government Councils elections in Kaduna State have confirmed the fears that the absence of credible and legitimate party leadership in our state will destroy its credibility and popularity.
“These are fears which the Akida group had raised since the early days of the administration of Nasir el-Rufai.
“The congresses have exposed the contempt for popular participation by the Governor and his hand-picked choir. Our party has lost massive popularity and goodwill as a result of attempts to force the choices of an unpopular government on party faithful.
“Persons with responsibility have emerged who enjoy no support or legitimacy among party members, and the futility that these people will deliver an electoral victory in the 2019 elections is firmly registered from the reactions of most people in the State.”
The AKIDA APC regretted that the party is now being led “by people without legitimacy, and a government headed by a governor whose registered success lies only in his ability to rain curses on perceived opponents while dancing in public. While our people die at the hands of marauding killers by the day, our governor lives in his own world, seemingly beyond the reach of any restraining influence.”
“The Akida group has informed all relevant party organs and leaders that it will regretfully consider leaving a party it worked hard to put in place if there is no visible evidence of success in addressing the damaging levels of alienation and frustration among the millions of party faithful in Kaduna State,” the statement added.
As things stand, according to the group, “The founding values of our party, particularly integrity, accountability, inclusiveness and compassion have been systematically repudiated by the government of Nasir el-Rufai, starting with the subversion of the autonomy and integrity of the party at all levels in the State.
“If other State governments and party leaders emulate the example of Kaduna, our party will have a very difficult task retaining the confidence of the people in 2019.”
The Akida group however restated its commitment to continue to work for good governance and economic progress in the state and the nation, calling on “anyone with authority or influence over the Governor to use it responsibly to head off a looming disaster in the shape of a party that has lost its foundations and its future”.
