A coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Groups has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the circumstances surrounding the screening of former governor of Kaduna State, Mal. Nasir El-rufai and two others over the claim by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio that the trio were yet to be cleared by the security agencies.
The group led by Engr. Jator Abido, Prince Danielson Momoh, and Comrade Chinedu Livinus in a statement jointly signed and made available to journalists in Abuja described the action of the Senate as unjust attempt to pitch prominent members of the party who gave their all for the party’s victory against each other.
The group particularly urged the President to rein in the Senate President and the Department of State Security (DSS).
Recall that the President had recently transmitted to the Senate a list of 48 ministerial nominees to be screened by the Senate. However, on the 7th of August, 2023 and after a rigorous screening, the Senate announced that it has screened and cleared only 45 of the nominees, leaving out three nominees including Stella Oketete from Delta State and Nasir El-Rufai from Kaduna State under the guise of a security report.
The group described the action of the Senate as unjust and wondered why the Senate President would choose to work against his party’s interest.
According to the statement, “it’s unfortunate for Akpabio to be implicated in actions that seem detrimental to the All Progressives Congress (APC). During the election of President Bola Tinubu, prominent figures like Governor El-Rufai and Stella Oketete played pivotal roles, ensuring that Tinubu secured victories not only in in their wards but states and the nation at large and must not be treated with utmost disrespect like the Senate just did”.
The group equally wondered why there was no security report against Nasir El-Rufai and Stella Oketete all through the electioneering campaigns, only for some overzealous security agencies working for enemies of the state to spring up imaginary security reports that are nothing but fictitious imaginations concocted to the tarnish the image of the nominees and deprive them from enjoying their hard work.
“The contributions of Stella Oketete who worked as the Secretary of Election Monitoring Committee and that of El-Rufai who served as the Governor of Kaduna State during the elections demonstrated their commitment to the party’s success and they deserve to be rewarded.
Akpabio’s stance in the screening of ministers shows that he is not a true partyman and a clear indication that he has a hidden agenda behind his recent actions. It’s obvious he has an evil agenda which is potentially harming the unity and progress of the APC”, the statement added.
The group listed some of Governor El-Rufai’s contributions which they described “as invaluable, as he stood steadfast in various challenges including a showdown with the former president over the introduction of new naira notes, and even confronting notable party figures like former Chairman Abdullahi Adamu and ex-Senate President Ahmed Lawan in the interest of the nation”.
The group finally appealed to the President and all relevant stakeholders to call the Senator Akpabio to order, emphasising the importance of maintaining party cohesion and addressing any internal conflicts that may hinder the APC’s overall progress.
