2019: Grand conspiracy to stop Buhari underway –Senator Marafa
Senator Kabiru Marafa represents Zamfara Central senatorial district of Zamfara State. In the Senate, he heads the committee on petroleum (Upstream). Marafa who is gunning to succeed his state governor, Abdulaziz Yari is currently at loggerheads with him.
In this interview, the lawmaker alleged that there is a grand plan to stop President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. He also claimed that some elements in APC want to take over power from Buhari through the backdoor. He spoke with FRED ITUA on this and other issues.
You had a nasty experience in Zamfara during the just-concluded APC congresses. What happened?
There was an incident in my Local Government. The police I believe under the instruction of the state government mobilised heavily to prevent an innocent citizen from carrying out his civic responsibility and that is me here.
On Saturday, 12th of May, the date fixed by the APC for Local Government Congresses, and as a party man and politician, I drove to my local government headquarters where the event was supposed to take place. On reaching there, I met massive security build up comprising of mobile policemen, Civil Defence. Before I left, I learnt the police area commander was there. So I moved and asked one of the policemen where the area commander was.
I was directed to a place. Before I could turn around, there was an APC vehicle. This time, not APC as a political party, but armored personnel carrier. I asked where the area commander was, they said they could not see him. Before I knew it, one of my mobile policemen was manhandled. So I moved forward to ask what was the problem, before I knew it, they threw tear gas just right in front of me.
In a nutshell, the mobile policeman was manhandled, harassed and disarmed. My orderly was equally disarmed. So I tried to ask what the problem is. They were just busy throwing tear gas. But I thank God that did not deter me. I went ahead to carryout what I was there for.
The whole thing is just to stop me organising or conducting my own local government congress. But the beauty of it is that, the world has seen that the state government lacks the confidence of the people. That is why there was that massive police or security buildup. If you are popular and in politics, you don’t need any security agent to help you organise your own.
The inspector is still held in Gusau. The commissioner of police and the mobile commander effected the arrest. I learnt that it was the mobile commander in charge of that. I’m not a policeman, but I’m still asking questions to find out what the implication of what they had done.
For them to disarm the mobile policeman and the orderly that were attached to me, I think, it is criminal. This is because the intent was to expose me to harm. If not because the gathering that was there is for Marafa, only God knows what would have happened. This inspector did nothing criminal. He was on his lawful duty. He was assigned to me by the IGP in view of the problems in Zamfara and the position I have taken. I applied to the IGP and he was legally given to me. For somebody to just come and disarm him in the middle of a programme, it speaks volumes especially from officers that have failed to carryout their constitutional responsibilities.
What do you think was their intention?
I would not know their intention because I’m not God, but my deductions are that, first, the state government has lost popularity and touch with the people. So they are afraid of elections. What I simply asked
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