Ex-Governor Leading Top APC Chieftains, Govs To Work Against Tinubu Revealed

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may have another big issue to deal with ahead of the 2023 election, as reports claim some top party chieftains are working against its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

Reports obtained by Naija News on Monday alleged that former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, is leading a team of aggrieved Northern leaders of the party to sabotage Tinubu’s victory in the coming polls secretly.

It was gathered that the APC chieftains are collaborating with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure the victory of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Sources who reportedly spoke with SaharaReporters noted that Yari recently met with Atiku in Paris, France while on his way to the United States.

Sources in the APC presidential campaign council (PCC) who are in the know told the news platform that the Northern politicians were accusing the party’s national leaders and Tinubu of disregarding Yari’s nominations to the PCC.

Naija News understands that Yari was one of the founding members of the APC from the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).

The former Governor of Zamfara, however, said he has been relegated to the background by the party leadership and President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration since Governor Bello Matawalle who succeeded him dumped the PDP for the APC.

“With everything he did for Buhari and the APC in Zamfara, he said he and his numerous supporters were abandoned. Rather than rewarding him for the investment he made for the APC, he has been running a battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),” one of the sources reportedly said.

Naija News reports that Yari is being investigated by the anti-graft agency over alleged illegal financial dealings and misappropriation of funds.

The former Governor who left office in 2019 was arrested over his alleged role in the judgment debts around the Paris Club refunds as claimed by some private firms.

His handling of the proceeds of the Paris Club refunds from 2017, when he was the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, to May 2019, when his two terms as governor ended, is being investigated.

We Are Monitoring Those Working Against Tinubu

Speaking further on the plot by the APC chieftains to boycott Tinubu in the coming election, another member of the APC PCC told the reporters that Yari was robbing shoulders with Atiku and PDP chieftains because Tinubu’s refusal to give him a key role in his campaign team.

“We are monitoring those who are plotting against Asiwaju (Tinubu). They are APC members during the day but at night, they are with Atiku. Yari met Atiku in Paris recently while on his way to the US,” SaharaReporters quoted the source.

He said after the meeting abroad, the former governor met several times with the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who is a special adviser to Atiku’s campaign council.

“Twice, he has also met with the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP, Ifeanyi Okowa and other governors who are with Atiku in the PDP. He has also met with the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike,“ he said.

According to the sources quoted, Yari is leading the APC PCC are currently monitoring three governors and two former governors in the Northwest geopolitical zone who are hobnobbing with Atiku.

“Yari is at the forefront of Atiku’s project in the Northwest. He is together with three serving and two former governors. We know he is one of the fifth columnists and that was why he was not considered for any major assignment in the campaign council,” the source, who is said to be a senior member of the APC PCC said.

According to him, the recent visit of Tinubu to Yari in Abuja was arranged by a former governor who was also involved in the Atiku project.

“They organised the meeting to cover up their machinations against Asiwaju. But we are fully aware of their antics and machinations. They won’t go anywhere,” he added.

This article was originally published on Naija News