The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has suspended former governor of Kaduna State,Sen Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi for alleged anti-part activities in the state.
The letter of the suspension which was signed on Sunday, 14th May 2023, had the signatures of the Chairman of the PDP, Tudun Wada Ward (Saidu Aliyu), alongside five other Executive members
In the letter signed by the executive leadership of his ward and issued to newsmen, Sen Makarfi was accused of being self-opinionated and intolerant of dissenting views irrespective of merit.
He was also accused of factionalizing the party using his influence as a member of the national leadership of the party as well as undermining the party’s laid down guidelines and procedures in the day toa day management of the affairs of the party.
The ward executives also accused him of engineering and promoting the arbitrary expulsion of loyal members of the party in Tudun Wada Ward without recourse to due process and undermining the party’s mobilization during the recently concluded General Elections by engineering a skewed distribution of the resources meant for the campaigns.
Recall that the former Vice President, Ach Namadi Sambo has, during governors induction organised by the PDP and attended by its critical stakeholders, made a bitter remark concerning the party situation in Kaduna, lamenting the there were attempts to cripple the party through arbitrary suspension and expulsion of party members.
Some political observers were quick to suggest that the reference made by Namadi Sambo was targeted against Sen Ahmed Makarfi
Sen Makarfi was a two term governor of Kaduna State and has firm grip of the party even before going to the senate in 2007 and returned in 2011.
Makarfi, as a sitting governor was said to be responsible for the emergence of Namadi Sambo as the governorship candidate of the party in 2007.
He was was also saddled with the PDP leadership when it was embroiled in crises. Makarfi was able to stabilise the party before the 2019 general elections. But Makarfi was said to ha been disappointed during the presidential when the delegates from Kaduna State could not deliver their votes for him.
It could recalled that the PDP had a good outing in Kaduna State during the presidential and. national assembly elections as it majority in the presidential and national assembly seats The PDP won the three senatorial seats and majority of the House of Representatives seats. This gave the PDP high hope and confidence in winning the governorship and house of assembly seats But the reverse was the case. This fuels allegations of anti-party activities in the party.
Although the elections have come and gone, and the party is in court struggling to recover it from the APC, this crises may affect the efforts the party is making towards the recovery
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