Former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Abdulmumin Jibrin issued the following statement explaining why he defected from the Congress of all progressives (APC) to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
In the statement, Jibrin, who is loyal to presidential hopeful Bola Tinubu, also launched a vicious attack on an unidentified individual who he said is determined to ruin his political career.
People close to the former lawmaker said he was referring to Governor Abdullahi Gantuve of Kano, but THEANALYSTNG has yet to independently determine this.
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW.
For the past nine years, I have dedicated my material, intellectual, and political resources to advancing the cause of the Congress of All Progressives. As chairman of the House Finance Committee in the last quarter of 2013, when the alliances that would become APC materialized, I took a huge risk joining other compatriots to lead 60 members of the House of Representatives from the Popular Democratic Party to the APC. I provided seed capital for the logistics and venue of our meetings, and this helped our internal revolt to weaken the then ruling party and a government fiercely threatened by the prospects of the new party. alternative. I became the subject of intense threats and personality attacks by a vengeful government that deployed the resources of the state to harass me as chairman of a high-ranking committee of the rapidly growing party.
In 2015, I emerged as chair of the House Appropriations Committee and, in line with the cardinal principles of the new APC government, launched an ambitious reform of the appropriations process. While APC supported and encouraged me at an early stage, that support fizzled out when I needed it most. I lost two years of my term on hold, and when I returned to the House, the presidents were already at ‘war’ with the party and the executive arm of government. The party and the government needed help again.
The APC government needed a solid platform and base of support to resist the increasing aggression of the National Assembly. That threat inspired the formation of the Pro-Buhari Parliamentary Support Group to protect the party’s interests in the legislature. While the group’s activities took off in the Senate and led by APC’s current national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, they failed to do so in the House. When I returned to the House in 2018, I convened and led the Parliamentary Support Group amid several warnings to desist and threats of suspension again. I stood my ground and engineered a working relationship with our counterparts in the Senate to build an unbreakable base of support in NASS for the APC-led government ahead of the 2019 general election.
When I won an election for the third term of the House in 2019, I felt it was time to take on a new responsibility, and I intended to run for the position of Speaker or Deputy. The party convinced me to set aside my ambition for the sake of zoning. I did and agreed to lead the current Speaker’s campaign. We work day and night and defy raw antagonism and sabotage to ensure APC’s chances of securing the Speaker’s position. In the end, we all pay our dues to a party that not only refuses to acknowledge the sacrifices of its front-line foot soldiers, but promptly throws them under the bus.
Prior to being appointed Executive Director of the Federal Housing Authority, I had lost my seat through a questionable court ruling, especially in the subsequent by-election where the whole world witnessed the meddling that cost me my seat with some APC leaders involved. Although my new position was a much lower appointment than my previous positions, I accepted it in good faith, believing that it is another way to serve my country. Finding myself inundated with too many reforms and conflicting policies at the FHA, I began to lose my appetite for work. In all of these, the APC left me in the desert.
In my twenty-three years of graduate school experience, the last seven years have been the least remarkable, so much so that my long-established career almost reached a point of total implosion. The sixteen years leading up to that date were fueled by prosperity and accelerated growth for which I am grateful to Almighty God and the amazing people in my circle. In those nice years, I was at peace with myself and my career. I was focused and felt appreciated. I enjoyed quality mentorship, love, and support from some of the nation’s great minds who are still active in our politics. They can attest to my character, loyalty, selflessness, and commitment to whatever cause I was involved with. However, it must be stressed that I was financially stable before entering politics and have always been a financial contributor to all political groups and activities. I have been involved.
The horrible disappointments of my last seven years revolved around this character who is determined to destroy anyone who activates his obvious inferiority complex. His sadistic instincts make him quite a terrifying ally, so much so that he feels the need to treat his allies as marginalized black Africans in apartheid-era South Africans in order to feel a sense of superiority and misguided advantage. I dedicated everything to the political interests of this man, but he kept asking for more. This circus became so embarrassing that I had to take a step back to do some soul searching to redeem myself. There is a difference between serving for the greater good and seeking to be adored by one’s allies. We must never confuse loyalty with slavery.
I have a family, a state and a country to live for, and I can’t give my life to him. This is an impossible sacrifice. But this man yearned for that and he put me through a mentally draining phase in my life that I had to put aside to reflect on my political choices. He is not surprised that all of his top politicians and lieutenants desert him, and he risks becoming an island by the end of his term. When he tried to get me back in a long phone conversation a few days ago, I asked him a question to spark deep insight into his demoralizing interpersonal relationships. I asked him if, as a father, he would want others to treat his children the same way he treats us, his political allies and lieutenants. At the appropriate time, I intend to discuss this man’s wickedness in detail.
In fact, I love the APC and fought for it to the best of my ability. I will miss the party, no doubt, but my survival is vital at this time in my political life. I have built lasting friendships in the party, some of whom are leaders I will hold dear for the rest of my life, including President Muhammadu Buhari, whom I have enjoyed a rare privilege of access to whenever I have asked to meet with him. I will continue to be his son even after 2023. I thank everyone for his support and kindness.
However, my departure from the APC means that I have stopped participating in Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidential campaign. The fact is that no single individual can be a significant inconvenience in Asiwaju’s campaign. The campaign is built and designed to excel even without me. Based on the passion and dedication of the team invested in his aspiration, not even Asiwaju can stop his campaign let alone Abdulmumin Jibrin. I want to call on the public to avoid overestimating my relevance to the team and to stop spreading rumors and creating all kinds of theories around this matter. I have my value but it won’t take anything away from the menu I saw on the BAT campaign table. For the avoidance of doubt, let me clarify that I have no problem with Asiwaju. We have never had any problems once. My problems were local and all politics are local. Asiwaju sincerely took an interest in me and gave me a free hand to participate in his project, and my departure from the party does not erase my respect for him and belief in his ability and vision to redeem Nigeria’s fortune.
But first there has to be a Jibrin before a Jibrin will work for someone. I must take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that I survive the onslaught of a vengeful man who abuses the privileges of his distinguished office to frustrate my career and the careers of many others. Obsessed with my political prospects even away from home, he came for my role in the Asiwaju campaign and lobbied hard to replace me. Asiwaju tried her best to intervene to prevent me from leaving the party. Not because he would affect his campaign in any way, but because of the genuine resemblance he bears to me. Unfortunately, wherever this man functions after my career, I feel compelled to flee for my political safety. It’s a toxicity I’m no longer prepared to handle, and I want to take this opportunity to apologize to the entire BAT family across the country for any embarrassment or inconvenience my sudden departure from APC has caused. I have already met with Asiwaju to apologize to him, and he will continue to be a father to me and his house, my home.
Let me also take this opportunity to inform the public that I have joined the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) under the leadership of Ing. Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to continue the pursuit of peace and progress in the service of our beloved state of Kano and the whole nation. This is another avenue to serve the people and participate in delivering quality government and development across the country, and I am so grateful for the warm reception and the exciting prospects ahead.
Thank you
