‘Why We Failed in Kaduna’

Katung Kajere Peter, State Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Kaduna

–Katung Kajere Peter, State Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Kaduna
By Oarhe Dickson, Kaduna
While there are many people challenging the victory of PDP in the last general elections in Kaduna state, only a fraction of your party’s candidates are in court, what is the reason for this?
What I do know is that at the last election, in every constituency of this state, there were ACN candidates. As a party stakeholder, as one that spear-headed the formation of this party in the state, I can tell you that a good number of our candidates performed very well. Beside PDP in Kaduna state, ACN was on ground more than any other party. Our candidates are not in court for one reason or the other.
What are the reasons?
Actually before the election, the party was very much on ground. Candidates came out, contested. But what happened is that the governorship candidate who was saddled with the responsibility of putting all the candidates in various positions together did not do so. The gubernatorial candidate came from the Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC) a month to the election and did not know anybody. He came with a motive not to win the election and so the various candidates instead of him bringing them together, he didn’t do that. All he did was to leave all of them on their own. Some of them were left to fund their campaigns whereas this gubernatorial candidate, Sani Sha’aban was given huge amount of money. When our presidential candidate was to come to Kaduna, for his campaign, the national body of our party gave huge amount of money to Sha’aban to organise the campaign. I was a member of the venue committee. I remember Sha’aban used only N2.5million to hire the venue. ACN would had surprised Kaduna state people if Sha’aban had called the state executives of the party and involved them in organising the campaign of our presidential candidate. Like I said, he came with a motive. Let it be known to you, that he had a backing at the national level. Some national officers connived with him. The national body of the party know this, that the failure of ACN to perform to expectation was by Sha’aban with the connivance of some national officers. That was exactly what happened. And so, when election was approaching, these candidates were expecting assistance from the national secretariat through Sha’aban or through the party executives but the national secretariat did not send any kobo to the state officers of the party.
Where is Sha’aban now?
Let me tell you, Sha’aban came to the party without paying one kobo, without contributing anything to the state excos. He came with a letter from the national secretariat signed by the national secretary, instructing the state chairman to sign an undertaken with him. Sha’aban did not pay for his nomination form. He came with other 10 candidates from where he came from and collected forms for these candidates. They did not pay for the forms. As I speak to you right now, he owes us N4.5million and he has not paid. And therefore instead of Sha’aban bringing the exco together, he decided to use divide and rule. He bought some few unintelligent excos brought them to his campaign office and sidelined those of us who founded ACN and started operating independently.
You asked where he is today. I am telling you that Sha’aban is aware of what he did, the national organ of the party is aware how much was given to him for Kaduna state election but he did not deliver that money. Asked any of the candidates today in ACN, whether they collected any kobo from Sha’aban.