Kaduna senator, Shehu Sani, and other key members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State, have announced the formation of a new group within the party.
The group is named APC Akida.
Akida, an Hausa word, means “our Interest”.
Kaduna APC has been dogged by internal strife for months, resulting from a row between with Mr. Sani and Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr. Sani accuses the governor of hijacking the party, while supporters of Mr. El-Rufai say the senator has been involved in anti-party activities.
At a press conference on Friday, a leading member of the APC in the state, Tom Maiyashi, said the new group will soon announce its leaders at all levels in the state.
Mr. Maiyashi said the APC Akida will serve as a platform for members of the APC to work for the progress of the party in the state.
“We believe in playing responsible and constructive roles because the government appears to have shut out basic involvement of citizens in governance,” he said, referring to the administration of Mr. El-Rufai.
“We came on board because our party structures do not exist or function in a manner prescribed by our party’s constitution. It does not protect the interests of our members, and one of our key goals is to help reestablish party structure at all levels.”
He also said the APC Akida is not a faction of the APC but an alternative platform for members of the party to play their part in building a true APC in the Kaduna state.
Present at the meeting were Mr. Sani, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Isa Ashiru among others.
Mr. Maiyashi said in the coming weeks, APC Akida would intensify its campaign to mobilise members to protect their “legitimate interests”.