The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Katsina State is facing a fresh challenge as two persons continue to claim the party chairman’s position.
Alhaji Musa Wamba and a former education minister, Alhaji Lawal Batagarawa are both parading themselves as chairman of the party which has led to creation of two factions in the state.
This newspaper reports that the ADC in the state has in the last few months received top politicians from the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to boost its ranks, but the fresh crisis it faces could derail the success recorded.
Party insiders told 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE that some top party leaders are working round the clock to turn the tide to avoid going into the scheduled congress with a broken party.
On Sunday Lawal Batagarawa led a press conference where he accused the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for sabotaging the party’s efforts to salvage the country.
Lawal Batagarawa said INEC was being mischievous for removing ADC’s leadership from its portal.
“We are confident that INEC’s interpretation is wrong, and we will seek redress in a court of competent jurisdiction,” he noted.
Few hours after that, Musa Wamba addressed a group of selected journalists and said Batagarawa was in no position to address the press on behalf of the ADC.
He insisted he is the legitimate party chairman.
“My tenure has not ended, so why Am I being pushed out of the position?… They’re just being selfish. Why can’t they come and sit with us to discuss the issues? I can present my certificate of return as the chairman of the party. I brought this party to Katsina” Musa Wamba said.
Factions emerge
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE gathers from reliable party sources that the party has been factionalized with Wamba and Batagarawa belonging to different camps.
Top party bigwigs including Mustapha Inuwa, a former Secretary State Government, a former Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Lawal Daura, a former House of Representatives member, Babangida Ibrahim Mahuta, among others belong to the Batagarawa camp.
While a former Katsina central senator Sadik Yar’adu’a, lead the Wamba camp.
