Kaduna APC Crisis: Governor Demolishes Senator’s House
The lingering crisis in Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, worsened Tuesday after a building located in the heart of Kaduna city, belonging to a leader of one of the two factions, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, was pulled down by the state government.
Senator Hunkuyi, whose faction, last week, suspended Governor Nasir El-Rufai from the party, immediately accused the governor of instigating the action, saying the building was used as the campaign office for Governor El-Rufai and also as the state headquarters of the APC.
The senator, however, vowed that the action of the governor would not demoralise him.
The Senate in a sharp reaction, condemned the move upon a motion on the issue brought by Senator Shehu Sani who on his part called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the Kaduna governor.
The Kaduna State Government, while acknowledging the demolition, said the building was pulled down upon failure of the owner to pay ground rent since 2010 and for public nuisance, including attracting political thugs.
The building had reportedly been put to the use of the APC faction to which Hunkuyi belongs and from where the suspension order on the governor was issued.
The one-storey building, located along Sambo Road in Ungwar Rimi, was pulled down in the early hours of yesterday by a team from Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency, KAPSUDA, in company of heavily armed military and police men.
The government said a revocation order was issued out of Kaduna Geographic Information Services, KADGIS, but did not say when the notice was given.
News of the demolition gained attention after a tweet from Hunkuyi on the incident.
In his tweet, the Kaduna North senator, who has had recurring fallouts and reconciliations with El-Rufai, said: “It is on record that few months back, @GovKaduna Mallam @elrufai marked another property of mine in Hunkuyi town for demolition, but residents of the area prevented the officials from demolishing it.
Today, he came well prepared with military men to destroy my house at Sambo Road.”
Justifying the demolition Tuesday, the Director General of Kaduna Geographic Information Services, KADGIS, Ibrahim Husseini, said the “illegal violation of land use had begun to distress neighbours who were being forced to endure an influx of thugs and blockage of the road.”
The statement read: “The Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency (KAPSUDA) is currently undertaking operations across Kaduna metropolis in compliance with its mandate. In partnership with sister agencies, KASUPDA is clearing illegal structures, tackling street hawking and restoring order across Kaduna. “This morning, (yesterday) a building on 11B Sambo Close was removed for flagrant violations of land use and non-payment of ground rent since 2010. This illegal violation of use had begun to distress neighbours who were being forced to endure an influx of thugs and blockage of the road.
“The Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS) issued a revocation notice of statutory right of occupancy No. KD. 16712 that covers 11b Sambo Close in the Ungwan Rimi area. The appropriate notice of revocation was delivered at 28 Inuwa Wada Road, the registered address of the company that held the title to the property. The notice was also delivered to the building in question and sent by post to the registered address of the previous title holder.
“The land has now been allocated to KASUPDA for the purpose of developing and maintaining a public park that will provide a green area and a serene place for recreation in that residential neighbourhood.
“KADGIS wishes to remind all title owners to be fastidious in complying with the terms of their allocation. The purpose of allocation of land cannot be wilfully altered; neither can title holders lawfully neglect to pay their ground rents.
“Since 2016, the government has been taking action on various land-related matters, including revoking all undeveloped land titles in the state and directed that all abandoned buildings be developed within three months of the notice.
“The Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), as the government agency charged with ultimate responsibility on land matters in Kaduna State, calls for the utmost cooperation by the public with all our agencies.”
The Senate in a sharp reaction, condemned the demolition, with the presiding officer and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, warning that politicians must not overheat the polity ahead of the 2019 elections.
Ekweremadu, who noted that demolitions carried out against political rivals should stop, said the government should have taken resort to the courts in pressing its issues against the senator.
“This is something we need to watch, as we head towards 2019. We must appeal to politicians not to overheat the system and then imperil our democracy. There is a limit to the patience of our people.
“This should be the last of this kind of incident in any part of Nigeria. If people have grievances, they have the court to settle it, and our courts can be trusted to ensure that justice is delivered to whoever justice is due.
“I do hope that the governor will make effort to go and rebuild the house or pay him adequate compensation. We condemn the act.”
