THE KWANKWASO INTERVIEW (5) Is the defection from the APC not worrisome? Well, it doesn’t worry me at all. It is something that we should expect. I wasn’t in the APC. I left the PDP because I realised it was not a place that I should be and that was why I moved. And of course, those who were in the ACN, the CPC, the ANPP and the APGA who are now in the APC, they would have moved and don’t forget, we are dealing with a government that has accumulated so much money to the extent that they see everybody as a commodity and attach price tag on him. I believe that not everybody will be on this side. When they start dangling some dollars, you begin to wonder whether you stay or go. That is not the issue. The issue I believe is the people. Some of us are lucky in the sense that we have so many people behind us. So, we are so heavy that it is not an issue for us to be flying from one pole to another. And once we decide to do it, we do all the arithmetic, we do all the calculations that are necessary so that we can go with almost 100 per cent and that is what we have done here in Kano. So, there is limitation, but those who align to it—it is very simple because they believe that their wives and children are behind them. It is very easy for them to change position. You see, in politics, you don’t sit down and start looking around and be chasing luck. Stay where you are and work hard. You don’t have to win elections all the time. I contested elections 12 times, including primary and secondary elections, and I lost one-that was the governorship election of 2003. It was a big lesson to me. I learnt so much. I was humbled and I am very proud of that particular election. One out of 12. I believe any politician who has never won election or never lost election or only had one—that to me is not a complete politician-you need to win, you need to lose election; with that, you have to know how to manage success, you will have to know how to manage failure. You cannot do anyone of them, if you don’t have both experience. That is the position under which I believe that we will continue to work together as progressives to make this country better for all of us.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:33:17 +0000
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