Barely 24 hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger state has suspended one of its chieftains, Alhaji Sani Bello Mustafa, popularly known as Sani Basket, who is an uncle to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.
However, in a swift reaction, Sani Basket has dumped the party in a recorded statement available to the media.
The suspension letter issued by the Central Ward Kontagora and signed by the chairman, Alhaji Hamza Magidad and secretary of the ward, Alhaji Abdullahi Kira, accused Sani Bello Mustafa of anti-party activities.
“Our collective resolution to suspend the aforesaid member from the party is due to anti-party activities – campaigning against the party which is capable of tarnishing the good image of the party,” the letter read in part.
According to the suspension letter, “Your utterances in the Landmark FM Station dated February 21, 2023, is a clear testimony that the person in question has not been adhering to the party constitution.”
Reacting, Alhaji Sani Bello Mustafa who spoke in Hausa language said he got the news of his suspension on social media and refuted allegations of anti-party activities.
He said, “Freedom of speech is an integral part of democracy and a fundamental right of citizens. If the ward chairman and secretary of the party said they have suspended me for no reason other than this, I want to notify you that I have resigned from the APC. I am no longer a member of the party.”
Blueprint learnt that the development had further deepened the crisis rocking the party in the Niger North Senatorial District also known as Zone C where Governor Abubakar Sani Bello is the Senatorial candidate of the party.
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