RIVALRY INTENSIFIES IN KANO APC OVER KWANKWASOS SUCCESSOR Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is still weighed down by the task of choosing a successor, few months to the stipulated time for guber primaries. This has increased the level of rivalry among APC aspirants, as our correspondent reports. Aside his much talked about presidential ambition, the other issue that has put Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the news is his dilemma over who to choose to succeed him in 2015. Since his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) late last year, the number of aspirants eyeing Kwankwaso’s seat in the party has continued to swell, with all of them expecting the blessing of the governor to actualise their dream. Kwankwaso, who was first elected in 2009 under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was defeated in 2003 but staged a gallant comeback in 2011. His second tenure would thus end in 2015. Kwankwaso’s second tenure has been eventful as he has done much to improve on the infrastructure in the state. Many observers say he has done better than any other governor that has piloted the affairs of the state. Kwankwaso has succeeded in putting the state on the track of development to the admiration of all. The infrastructural development going on in Kano State has made the people of the state to be more interested in who succeeds the governor for the consolidation of ongoing developmental strides in the state. Though the governor has not anointed any candidate publicly, many of his loyalists are interested in the coveted seat, starting from the Deputy Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who has been with the governor on the political journey for about two decades. While aspirants within the Kwankwasiyya movement are still playing hide-and-seek game few months to the election, those who are of the legacy parties that merged to form APC are moving round to sell their candidature. But so far, within the Kwankwasiyya Movement, only Ganduje who has been with Kwankwaso since 1999 has disclosed his intention to step into the shoes of his long -time political ally. Ganduje, who contested the PDP primaries with Kwankwaso in 1999 ,was prevailed upon to step down for the latter then and it was as a result of the ‘sacrifice’ he made that he was made deputy governor. When they were defeated by Shekarau in 2003, Ganduje followed Kwankwaso to the Federal Ministry of Defence where he was made an adviser to Kwankwaso who was then the minister. Like a snail’s shell, when Kwankwaso was moving to the APC last year, Ganduje without any hesitation followed his boss. Many say if Kwankwaso considers loyalty and commitment as yardstick for picking a successor, then Ganduje may not find it difficult to receive the governor’s blessing as his loyalty to the governor is rock solid. Even beyond supporting the governor in his official duty, Ganduja has also chosen to undertake to assist in some of the political projects of the governor that are not directly under his obligation. He is currently in the forefront of the actualisation of Kwankwaso’s presidential ambition. For weeks now, our correspondent gathered that the deputy governor has been going from one state to the other to set up structures for the presidential campaign of the governor. Only recently, he was seen in Adamawa State commissioning Kwankwaso’s presidential campaign office. During a chat with newsmen in his office, Ganduje indicated his interest to vie for the plum job come next year. His words: “I’m interested but I’m not declaring now. I pray when I do you people will support me. Ours is a party that was just put in place, of course with Kwankwasiyya members dominating the show. Kwankwasiyya group is a highly disciplined group, we take decision at appropriate time and when we do we all follow it.” Like Ganduje, another aspirant close to the governor is Alhaji Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, the present Secretary to the Kano State Government. He has been with Governor Kwankwaso since 1999 and their relationship is said to be cordial. Bichi’s office is seen as the clearing-house of Kwankwaso’s administration and has in effect wielded enormous power in the administration. Unlike the deputy governor; Bichi has not made his ambition public; he has kept it close to his chest. Another person that is secretly nursing the ambition is the state’s Commissioner of Works, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf. Like Bichi, he has not declared his intention to contest for his in-law’s seat but events around him have shown that he is nursing the idea. To some in the state, Yusuf is the likely candidate of the governor if he considers family ties. Although the state Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Abdullahi Mahmud Gaya, is being rumoured to be nursing the idea, feelers around him said he is now more interested in getting a seat at the National Assembly. Outside the camp of the governor in the APC, other politicians nursing the ambition include former military administrator of Kaduna, General Lawal Jafaru Isa, Senator Kabir Gaya who is presently representing Kano South Senatorial District at the Senate and radical cum grassroots politician, Alhaji Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives. Supporters of the trio are struggling to outdo one another on the airwaves as they try to sell themselves. They have since made their intention public and have put in place structures in the 44 local government areas of the state. In 2011, retired General Jafaru Isa contested for the governorship race under the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). His chance was dwarfed by the crisis that rocked the party at the twilight of the election as the son to late Sani Abacha, Mohammed Abacha, engaged him till the day of the election. Many believe that if General Muhammadu Buhari is given the mandate to choose who succeeds Kwankwaso come 2015, General Isa will get the ticket as he is seen as a very close associate of General Buhari, one of the national leaders of the APC. More aspirants are likely to join the race as the 2015 elections draw nearer. Any of the APC aspirants that eventually emerged as the torchbearer of the party would be confronted by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party in the state. But in an interview with a group of journalists in his office, Kwankwaso said he was not in any dilemma over who succeeds him come 2015 “I don’t have problem with who succeeds me come 2015. We have so many people who are competent that have been working with this government. There are even new people who joined us recently, we have qualified people capable to govern the state but you see, we are doing so much we don’t want any interruption now,” he said. Political watchers observed that the governor is threading softly in view of what happened to Malam Ibrahim Shekarau in 2011. Against the wishes of people around him, Shekarau reportedly anointed, Alhaji Sagir Takai, his then commissioner for water resources as his successor. The development was said to have dampened the fortunes of Shekarau’s political party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) as many people around him opted out including his deputy, Engineer Abdullahi Tijjani Mohammed Gwarzo. Our correspondent reports that the success of the APC or otherwise come 2015 in the state is highly dependent on the way Kwankwaso plays his game.#source #dailytrust
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:49:51 +0000
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