Aggrieved APC member, chieftain trade banters in Benue

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

An aggrieved member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who is also a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Benue state, Alhaji Usman Maishanu Abubakar (akaYoung Alhaji) has declared that the APC is dead in Kano.

But the party state chairman, Comrade Abba Yaro, has disagreed with him maintaining that the party is waxing strong in the state instead.

According to Abubakar, the opposition cannot make a headway in Benue state because of the high handedness of the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, in the handling of gone affairs of the party.

Abubakar, who made the declaration in a telephone chat with this reporter said

“I have disengaged from the APC because of the high handedness of Akume. The way he is handling affairs of the party is not right. Opposition party is dead in Benue State with my pulling out as well as Prof. Gbasha, Senators Daniel Saror and David Iornem. The party is dead especially in Idoma land”, he noted. He said that his next destination could be the PDP or any other party.

Yaro however dismissed Abubakar’s claims that the party is facing serious challenges.

He insisted that the party is intact in spite of the defection of some of its major stakeholders to the PDP, adding that their priority was to focus on how to win the 2015 elections in the State.

While acknowledging the defection of some of the APC members to the PDP, he pointed out that some members of the ruling party in the state are also moving into the opposition.

“I can tell you that many top PDP members have approached us indicating interest to join the party though I will not mention names now. The likes of Young Alhaji who is not even a card carrying member of the APC, Amb. Gbasha, Isaac Shaahu and Sen. David Iornem who have left the party will not in any way affect its fortunes in 2015”, he maintained.