APC chieftain calls for equity, reward for loyalty

Prof. Muhammadu Bashir of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Sokoto State has called on the party to embrace equitable formula for distribution of positions and reward for loyalty.

Bashir told our correspondent on Friday in Abuja that loyalty must be rewarded to forestall crisis in the party.

He frowned at sidelining of committed members of the party who contributed and built the party from the scratch, saying such action would not augur well for the progress of APC.

He decried that people who were disenchanted with the outcome of the party primaries in Sokoto were still being treated as outsiders as if they had nothing to contribute to the party.

Bashir said that he abandoned the academics to join the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and built the party until the merger of the APC, adding, “I need to be given my rightful place in the party’’.

He said that the fallout of the APC governorship primaries in Sokoto State almost brought the party to its knees, adding that this led to some people going to court to challenge the outcome.

Bashir said that the expectation of some members was that the leadership of the party should reconcile aggrieved members.

“I wrote to Chief John Oyegun, the Chairman of APC and Gov. Aminu Tanbuwal with the hope of reconciling aggrieved aspirants, Chief Oyegun did his best but we have not heard anything from governor Tambuwal,” he said.

He said that rather than share positions and political appointments based on the party that constituted the merger, the old PDP had taken over all the positions.

“PDP took everything away from us and not a single person from CPC has been given any position, Chief Oyegun is familiar with the case because it has been tabled before him and he made some promises to rectify it,” he said.

He called on the party to do whatever was necessary to reconcile members, while calling on the party to abide by internal democracy, transparency to move the party forward.