APC gives Kwankwaso, others conditions to join party

The Kano State chapter of the All Progressive Congress, APC, on Friday said it is ready to receive the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and others, but with conditions to join the party.

The state party chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, made this known while addressing a press conference at the party secretariat on Friday.

Abbas said the attention of the party has been drawn to speculations of the impending decamping of the factional leader of the NNPP, Kwankwaso, into the party.

He said the party has already directed the ward chapters to open registers for new decampees, irrespective of their political and social stature and in line with the party’s constitution.

According to him, “APC as a political institution in its renewed hope agenda has embarked on the project of receiving decampees from all political parties. Of recent, the attention of the party has been drawn to speculations of the impending decamping of the leader of the expelled faction of the NNPP, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, into the party. This is a welcome development, especially given the fact that the APC remains his last political refuge, as he has successfully destroyed his relations with all other political groupings in the country.

“Without prejudice to our desire as a party to welcome new entrants and in respect of the constitutional rights of citizens to belong to political parties of their choice, we wish to state our position as a state chapter of our great party in Kano State. We have already directed our ward chapters to open registers for new decampees, irrespective of their political and social stature, and this is in line with our party’s constitution.

“We advise all those desirous of joining our esteemed party to go to their respective wards and register. Also, we want to assure our elected party officials from the ward, local government, senatorial and state levels that they will continue to function as provided by the tenure of their office in the party constitution. For the purpose of seeking any future party or elective position, any old or new entrants shall be free to exercise his/her constitutional rights of voting or being voted for without any special preference.

“We are fully aware that some people are desperate to join the APC because they have scuttled their political goodwill and have become political lepers in the national scheme of things and are looking to the APC for political relevance. We are also aware that some politicians are trying to run away from accounting for their corrupt misdeeds both in government and party administration and seeking refuge in the APC to escape from the fangs of anti-corruption agencies like the EFCC and ICPC.

“However, joining APC as a political party is not a panacea for escaping from their past sins. For the avoidance of doubt, let me emphasise that the APC as a political party does not and will not encourage or promote the existence of cult-like associations in the name of political activities or groupings.

“On a final note, we unequivocally call on all those prospective decampees who have earlier made derogatory statements against our leaders, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his deputy Senator Kashim Shettima, to offer a public apology as a sign of remorse and respect for future relationships,” the party chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, however, stated.