The cold war brewing between the Nasarawa State governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura and his deputy, Damishi Luka Barau, boiled over Tuesday when the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nasarawa State announced the suspension of Barau.
The Chairman of the APC in the state, Mr Stanley Buba, announced the suspension yesterday in Lafia, the state capital, citing allegation of anti-party activities.
The rift, observers believe, could threaten the strength of the APC in the state.
Stanley while addressing journalists yesterday claimed that members of the party from the deputy governor’s Ningo ward in Akwanga had carried out the suspension which is to run till Baura gives a suitable explanation to his comment over the directive by the APC national executive who called for members of the party at the national assembly to block all executive sponsored Bills.
The deputy governor was said to have countered the directive by condemning the action and calling on members of the APC in the national assembly to disregard it for the interest of the country.His action did not go down well with the party both at the national level and the state.
A top Nasarawa government source told THISDAY that since 2013,Barau had been having a frosty relationship with his boss Al-Makura following leaked information that he has been fraternizing with top PDP hierarchy to dump the APC and contest for the 2015 governorship race. The source went further to disclose how the PDP had planned a huge decamping party for the deputy governor before his suspension by the party.
“Almakura could have sacked the deputy a long time ago due to his anti party activities but to do so requires the consent of the State House of Assembly which has an overwhelming PDP members that have been a stumbling block to the Al-Makura government”
But another source said Barau is only suffering humiliation because of his stand that the interim Chairman of the APC Buba is not a member of the party as the Labour Party (LP) does not belong to any of the parties that formed the APC, alleging that Buba was only brought in to do some dirty jobs by the powers that be.
Al-Makura had in 2013 sacked all his cabinet including special advisers in what a source said was a clamp down on some corrupt persons, including the deputy governor who was accused to have turned the other eye even when he knew what transpired
The Governor was irked about the situation but not wanting to cause a rift in his government only warned the deputy and kept mute.Source: Thisday
