…says ‘I quit to survive vengeful onslaught’

Immediate past Director General of Tinubu Support Group, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, has revealed why he dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jibrin stated that despite his commitment and sacrifices to the APC as one of its frontline foot-soldiers, the ruling party threw him under the bus.

He said he had to quit the APC so as to survive political onslaught against him by a vengeful man who is determined to frustrate his political career.

Jibrin made his position known in a lengthy statement sent to The Star, chronicling his travails in the APC.

The former House of Representative member representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency, however, did not name his traducer in the APC.

“I have to take the needed measure to ensure that I survive an onslaught by a vengeful man who abuses the privileges of his distinguished office to frustrate my career and the career of many others,” he said.

Jibrin said he invested so much and devoted resources for the successes of the APC since its inception.

“I devoted my material, intellectual and political resources to propel the cause of the APC. As Chairman of the House Committee on Finance in the last quarter of 2013, when the alliances that would become the APC materialized, I took a huge risk to join other compatriots in leading 60 members of the House of Representatives from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

“I provided the seed money for logistics and venue for our meetings, and this aided our internal revolt to weaken the then ruling party and a government fiercely threatened by the prospects of the new party we set out to market to the good people of Nigeria a benign alternative.”

He contended that despite his enormous sacrifices the party did not acknowledge their commitment, saying “In the end, we all paid our dues to a party that isn’t only refusing to acknowledge the sacrifices of its frontline foot-soldiers, but quick to throw them under the bus.”

Jibrin’s resignation won’t affect Tinubu’s ambition – Campaign official

The ex-lawmaker argued that some leaders of the APC took part in his election defeat. “I had lost my seat through a questionable court judgement, especially in the subsequent by-election where the whole world witnessed the interferences that cost me the seat with some leaders of the APC involved,” he said.

He insisted that a certain person who doesn’t respect his office went all out on him. “His sadistic instincts make him quite a frightening ally, so much that he feels the need to treat his allies as the marginalized black Africans in apartheid-era South Africans to feel a sense of superiority and misguided advantage,” he said.

Although Jibrin didn’t name any person specifically that is frustrating him politically, all indications point to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.

After Jibrin’s fell out with Ganduje, he lost his re-election bid in questionable circumstances that saw opposition candidate that was allegedly backed by the Ganduje administration.

Jibrin said although he was financially stable prior to joining politics and contributed financially to the APC, he argued that the antagonist against his political career wanted to sacrifice even his life and everything he has in a master-slave like relationship.

He said also he loved APC but his exit meant he detached himself from political campaign of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He further affirmed that Tinubu’s respect will continue to linger despite the now differences.

He further added that his dumping of the APC would not significantly affect the Tinubu campaign team.

According to him, “Indeed, I love the APC, and I fought for it to the best of my capability. I’m going to miss the party, no doubt, but my survival is vital at this point in my political life…my exit from the APC means I’ve ceased to be involved in the presidential campaign of Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The fact is, no individual can be a significant minus in Asiwaju’s campaign. The campaign is armor-built and designed to excel even without me.”

Jibrin said his new political party, NNPP, accords him the opportunity to work for the peace and progress of Kano State and Nigeria as a whole.

He commended the leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for warmth reception accorded him.

The Star