Details have emerged as to why the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) let go of its chieftains, including former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and his counterpart in Kano, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.
The duo defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week after helping the APC achieve the merger of three political parties last year.
Following disagreements over the structure of the party in the states, the two former governors decided to pitch their tents with the PDP, in what appears the first set of crisis that hit the opposition party.
But chieftains of the APC, in a strategic meeting in Lagos, gave reasons for the decision to let go of the former governors.
Sources at the meeting quoted some of the leaders as saying that the APC preferred to work with incumbent governors who would get it more presence in their states than former governors.
A source stated that the party believes that in terms of financial muscle, the incumbent governors cannot be compared to their predecessors, adding that there was no doubting the fact that so much resources would be required to prosecute the next election.
“We believe that the incumbent governors will be more useful to the party in terms of finances. For instance, if you have to call on former governors Bafarawa and Shekarau to bring N100 million to the party, they would find it difficult to raise such fund, whereas, an incumbent governor can easily donate such an amount within minutes,” the source said.
A source further said that the APC did not have any reservation in letting go of the duo because of the feeling that they imposed their current plight on themselves by not doing enough to impose their successors on the states.
A source in the party also stated: “Shekarau and Bafarawa allowed themselves to be caught in the current quagmire. For instance, Shekarau allowed himself to be defeated in Kano when he concentrated on the presidential campaign, thereby allowing Rabiu Kwakwanso an easy win.
“The same is true of Bafarawa in Sokoto, who allowed himself to be defeated by Aliyu Wamakko. The two of them did not learn from Bola Tinubu when he was governor of Lagos State. He concentrated efforts on ensuring the victory of Mr Babatunde Fashola as governor, despite all the efforts of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“If you were in the shoes of the leaders, what would you do? There is a man who can mobilise millions in one hour and here is another who claims to have the grassroots. Money will play a big role in prosecuting the elections.”
Sources further confirmed that leaders of the APC have given marching orders to the second-term governors in their fold to ensure victory for their successors in the 2015 polls.
It was learnt that the party gave the orders following the defection of the duo of Shekarau and Bafarawa to the PDP.
Sources quoted party leaders as insisting that the mistakes of the like of Bafarawa and Shekarau must not be made in 2015 and that the governors must put everything in place to win their states.
“The party has mandated its leaders in the states, especially the second term governors to put everything in place to ensure they install their successors. The election ahead should not be seen as a game, but a battle,” the source said.
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