Crisis within the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zaria and Sabongari local government areas of Kaduna State prevented Malam Nasir El-Rufai from holding a meeting with the party executives in the two local government areas on Monday.

Some APC members at Teejay Palace in Zaria had engaged in physical combat when a heated argument ensued over a party chieftain at the meeting.

Journalists were told that el-Rufai, the gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the APC, was to meet with some party chieftains from Zaria and Sabongari at the Kongo Conference Hotel and Teejay Palace Hotel, but the disagreement that ensued over a yet to be identified matter stalled the meeting.

According to a source, “The meetings ended up unceremoniously due to interruption of party loyalists as a result of leadership crisis at both wards and local government levels. At the Kongo Conference Hotel, glasses of the sliding doors were broken by members who chanted offensive slogans. Also at Teejay Palace, there was a physical combat among party stalwarts who protested the presence of one of the party executive members in the meeting.”

However, el-Rufai was able to address the executive members, although in a rowdy session, where he said the leadership crisis in Zaria would be looked into by APC national leadership. The former Minister of the FCT also promised to be just to all once he becomes governor of Kaduna State.

•Text courtesy of Nigerian Tribune. Photo shows Nasir el-Rufai.