Tension in Kano as Kwankwaso, Ganduje get set for rallies same day
visit that fueled the lingering squabble between Ganduje and Kwankwaso, Senator Kwankwaso stopped coming to Kano in order to avert any clash between their supporters. Consequently, when the issue of the proposed visit by Kwankwaso came up, many politicians in the state became confused on the consequences of the visit.
While preparations are at peak to receive Kwankwaso, the Ganduje-led has also fixed a campaign rally to be held on the same day and on the route the former governor is expected to pass into Kano from Abuja. According to the APC campaign timetable, the party will hold a campaign rally on January 30 at Kwanar Dangora along the Kano-Abuja road to present flags to its candidates in the forthcoming local government poll.
The APC Secretary in the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, said the rally was scheduled according to the local government election’s campaign timetable released by the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC).
Sarina said, “Unfortunately, Senator Kwankwaso did not inform the party about his planned rally. Had it been he wrote to the party, the party will shift its own rally to another day. Senator Kwankwaso is a member of the APC and whatever he intends to do will be in favor of the party, therefore he should inform the party about his planned rally and I can assure you if he did so, the party would have changed the date of its rally, but he did not write to the party and obviously we will not rely on rumors to temper with the campaign timetable.”
Sarina explained that according to the timetable, the APC would receive Senator Basheer Garba Lado, some PDP leaders and former state House of Assembly members who decamped to the APC from the PDP on January 27, adding, “On January 28, we will hold a rally in Bichi town to present flags to some candidates, the next day which is 29th we will move to Gwarzo for a similar event and on 30th January we will hold a rally at Kwanar Dangora. On the 31st another rally in Wudil local government and it will continue like that up till February 8 when we will hold a grand rally to round off the campaign.”
Commenting on the visit, the state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, said Governor Ganduje was not stopping Kwankwaso from coming to Kano.
“Kwankwaso is welcome to Kano. The Kano State government and Governor Ganduje will be very happy if the visit will be peaceful. Our main concern is the peace and harmony in Kano. Government will not support anything that will temper with the existing peace and harmony being enjoyed by the people in the state. We have witnessed what happened when he paid a condolence visit to Ganduje in Ganduje village about two years ago and we don’t want it to be repeated. In as much as the former governor will come to Kano and leave peacefully, we don’t have any problem with that,” he said.
Reacting to the rumors on the cancellation of the planned visit which filtered into the state recently, Kwankwaso’s media aide, Hajiya Binta Spikin, in a statement in Kano, reaffirmed that the former governor would be in Kano state on January 30 unfailingly, saying, “We are very much aware of the rumours going round that our leader will not come to Kano. The Ganduje people are circulating the rumoors but I can assure you, nothing will stop Kwankwaso from coming to Kano on the slated date. I can state categorically that the January 30 visit is still intact and nothing has changed.”
But a political pundit in the state, Ibrahim Aliyu Yunus, is of the opinion that the two political rallies were initiated as a continuation of the political rift between Kwankwaso and Ganduje. He argued that the two politicians were set to test their political strength in the poll, hence, could do everything possible to win the war. He recalled that they had tested their might during a by-election held in Minjibir Local Government and were set for a fresh battle.
He said, “Our prayer is to have peaceful poll on February 10, 2018 because we witnessed what happened during the conduct of the Minjibir by-election and we don’t want such an unfortunate incident to be repeated again. We are very lucky that the state is peaceful now and therefore, we must avoid anything that may lead us into another round of political crisis.
“My advice to Kwankwaso and Ganduje is to sheath their swords and put their political interests behind their backs for peace to reign in the state. They should respect the collective interest of the people of Kano which is peace and harmony. Good leaders are expected to lead by example and both should know that any life that is lost as a result of any crisis they foment, they will account for it in the hereafter.
“So, to avoid that, they should call their followers to order and ensure that they do not cause trouble during the poll. To the security agencies, they should ensure that any politician that is found fomenting trouble before, during and after the election is punished accordingly.”
Yunus also urged youths in the state to desist from any act capable of tempering with the existing peace in the state, saying that if they allow themselves to be used by politicians to cause chaos in the state, they would also account for that here in this world and in the hereafter.
Another political analyst who does not want his name mentioned, said, “I will only advise Kwankwaso to cancel his visit. He was a governor of Kano State and he knows very well what government is capable of doing. So, if he wants to play with government then that is at his own peril because the ending result will be disastrous.”
He argued that the problem of Kwankwaso was denial of reality, noting that if he accepted the fact that Ganduje is the leader in Kano, the issue of having factions within the APC would not even arise. He, however, lamented that government had thousands of ways of dealing with complicated issues like this, assuring that despite the tension the proposed rallies had already caused in the state, nothing would happen in the end.
“This kind of situation happened during the 2003 general elections when Chief Alex Ekwueme refused to come to Kano for his campaign because Kwankwaso who was then governor was with Obasanjo. However, Ekwueme finally came to Kano and was received by Kwankwaso. But he was received in another place, not Africa House inside Government House where visitors are received and only selected journalists were allowed to witness the visit. You see, despite their political differences, Ekwueme has achieved his goal without shedding the blood of innocent people. People should understand that the best time to punish a government is during elections when you can mobilize your people and vote it out of power.”
He suggested that the APC national headquarters must do something to address the lingering rift between the two politicians before the 2019 general elections, otherwise it would affect the party’s popularity in the state, saying, “The rift between Kwankwaso and Ganduje has already torn the party in the state and by extension the votes and unless this problem is addressed it will affect the APC’s success in the subsequent elections.”
It would be recalled that supporters of the two politicians had clashed twice in the state recently. The first clash was last year during the annual Hawan Daushe held at Kofar Kudu, the emir’s palace while the second was at Chiranchi quarters two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the police in Kano yesterday warned Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso to shelve his visit to the state or face the wrath of the law.
The state police commissioner, Rabi’u Yusuf, said at a news conference that if Kwankwaso refuses to take the advice, the law would take its course against him.
“There is no doubt, Senator Kwankwaso as a citizen of this country has the constitutional right of association, assembly and above all movement. However, credible information at disposal of the command reveals that the proposed visit has generated palpable fears in the minds of the people of Kano State.
“There is apprehension amongst the general populace and the tendency to hijack the visit by some disgruntled politicians or miscreants cannot be wished away. Consequent upon this, the urgent need to nip the problem in the bud cannot be overemphasised,” he said.
The commissioner noted that any action or inaction by any person or group that might jeopardise the relative peace being enjoyed by people in the state must be averted.
“On this premise, it is the candid advice of the command that such visit to the state should be shelved by Senator Kwankwaso until the tension generated by the planned visit is doused and the security threat neutralised.
“The command will continue to be firm, fair and just in providing a level ground for all political gladiators to carry out their political activities without fear or molestation and or intimidation,” he said.
Kwankwaso’s media aide, Hajiya Binta Rabi’u Spiking, in a reaction, said Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso might re-consider his visit to Kano if the police claim is found to be true.
She said, “If the intelligence report at the police disposal happens to be true that there is going to be a kind of bloodshed during the visit, I am sure Senator Kwankwaso may re-consider his visit to Kano. This is because a single life is important to him. I am sure he will never be party to anything that will lead to the loss of life of any Kano indigen.”
She, however, said as far as she was concerned, Kwankwaso would go to Kano on January 30, adding, “up till this time that I am speaking with you, the visit stands as scheduled and nothing has changed.”
She said members of the Kwankwasiyya group were peace loving people and would not engage in anything violent.