…Alleges some members died out of frustration.
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and governorship aspirant of Kaduna State, Hon. Shunom Adinga, has expressed “serious regrets” to have given his everything for the success of APC in Kaduna State.
Hon. Adinga, who made the assertion, while declaring his intention to contest the State Governorship Seat in 2023, in an interview, said he spent over N40 million personal monies to see to the emergence of APC in the state, between 2014 and 2015, citing records and his Kagarko local government as witnesses.
He also revealed that most of his colleagues that were founding members and worked for the emergence of APC in Kaduna State died out of frustration.
The business entrepreneur, manager and development-cum resource expert also said he played opposition against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for 16 good years, and was among those that moved in group, from the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), to form merger with other political parties in APC – thinking that the merger would bring unity in Nigeria.
According to Hon. Adinga, while in APC, he won all his elections, from Presidential to State House Assembly, as Director-General campaign for General Buhari in Kakargo LG in 2015, when the latter won his free and fair election.
Also, as a Returning Officer of Buhari Presidential Election in Kakargo LG, Hon. Adinga bragged that he testified at the Federal High Court Abuja, in 2003, for Buhari in the name of looking for fairness, equity and justice.
He, however, revealed that he broke up and rebelled against that party when there was a sudden change of core value, norms and politicking believed to turn things around, from corruption to industrialization. He stated that, while the issues of discipline and other creative things became a mirage in 2019, he still remained in the party.
On what patronage he enjoyed for giving his everything to the party in the state, Hon. Adinga lamented, saying, “Nothing at all. I did not enjoy any patronage, from APC, from my LG to the State Government. I want to say without fear of favor that they were not fair to me at all. I’m a very blunt person; even El-Rufai knows me as an individual.
“I’m still going to say it anytime anywhere I did interview. I must tell you the truth. A good number of us have died out of frustration. I also must tell you this now, that, from 2014 to 2915, if I did not spend from my personal pocket from this house we are: I spent over N40 million to see to the emergence of APC in Kaduna State. Records and my LG is there as witness,” he stated.
He said even though, he was not expecting any refund, their initial believe was to try and change the corrupt PDP Government; “Because when you are sensing my kind of knowledge of governance, in government, people’s interest in government is really democracy.
“But what has come to merge with this our government is really confusing. If you are talking of traditional governance and how people will feel free with impact of governance, if you go to Dubai, you will see the traditional governance and how people are feeling the impact of the governance.
“Democracy has really taken us too far, but for me and APC, I’m sorry to say this, it’s still our party; but like the Hausa word says, ‘Allah Ya isa Sarkanimu,’ I told you that a lot of people, who spent more than me, have gone. They even threatened to imprison me. In fact, I was imprisoned,” he lamented, adding, “Anyone who has gift of giving gave without expecting anything in return. Therefore, they’ve forgotten them.”
On when to formally declare his governorship ambition publicly, the Hon. Adinga, who believes in building capacity and skills of people as empowerment to fend for themselves, said, until he returned from his Abuja trip scheduled for Thursday, saying, he is still consulting.
He said, if given the opportunity, he will end the challenges of insecurity arising from herders/farmers crises, adding that he had already finished his research and documentation and kept awaiting implementation.
