Defections change political calculations in Kano
As the 2019 general elections draw closer, politicians in Kano State have started decamping from one political party to another. Our correspondent observed that the movement is largely between the two major political parties in the country, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was also observed that supporters of the incumbent governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his predecessor, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and the former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, are the people mostly involved.
Findings by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that political alliance, frustration and political ambition were the major reasons behind the massive decamping, which started about five months ago when a former Commissioner for Rural and Community Development under the Shekarau regime, Alhaji Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso, dumped the PDP for the APC. The former commissioner, a diehard supporter of Shekarau, defected to the APC alongside his supporters, even though his political mentor is still an active member of the PDP. He was formally received into the APC in Madobi town, Madobi Local Government Area of the state at a well attended political rally.
Political observers said that the ultimate reason for his defection was to checkmate the political activities of his cousin, Senator Kwankwaso, particularly at the grassroots level. Although he denied this allegation, Daily Trust on Sunday reliably gathered that Ganduje was behind his defection to the APC.
According to a close political associate of the former minister of education who preferred anonymity, Iliyasu Kwankwaso’s defection was based on a political alliance between Ganduje and Shekarau.
He said, “Ganduje approached Shekarau and requested for a strong and grassroots politician that could help him boost his political activities in Madobi and the surrounding local governments like Kiru and Bebeji. It was based on this request that Shekarau released Iliyasu Kwankwaso to work for Ganduje in those areas ahead of the 2019 general elections.”
Speaking to our correspondent, Iliyasu Kwankwaso said he joined the APC to assist the incumbent governor politically, “Although I am not in the APC to fight Senator Kwankwaso; however, in the event that my cousin dares to fight Ganduje or the state chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, I will definitely fight him back.
“If Senator Kwankwaso accepts the fact that Ganduje is our leader in Kano and Abdullahi Abbas our party chairman, fine; but if he dares these two gentlemen, I will certainly fight him. I want to state categorically that I have nothing against the senator. My decamping to the APC is a home-coming because I am among the people that struggled for its formation.”
He said it was a normal thing in politics to see politicians decamp from one party to another, especially when election is approaching. He, however, said there was no difference between the APC and the PDP, as according to him, the same people who built the PDP are the ones who formed the APC.
He said, “Majority of the APC members were originally from the PDP. It is all about interest. For instance, if Senator Kwankwaso wants to retain his position come 2019, it is not late for him to reconcile with Ganduje and re-contest, but if he still wants to go for the presidency, I can assure you that he will not achieve that on the platform of the APC because he will not win the primary election.
“If he insists on contesting for the post of the president come 2019, he will either go back to the PDP or any other political party. I don’t think there is any politician that can win primary election for presidency and Kano governorship in the APC apart from Buhari and Ganduje.
“I once jokingly told you that Senator Kwankwaso said his supporters would leave the APC. Time will tell, but I am sure the man will either go back to the PDP or join another political party. There is also the allegation that he is planning to form a new political party.’’
Two months after the former commissioner and Shekarau’s campaign director decamped, another strong politician and former state chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Ibrahim Al-Amin Little and his supporters, also left the APC for the PDP.
Although Little told journalists that he dumped the APC because of its inability to redeem its campaign promises to the electorate, the reason for his action has been linked to the preparations for the return of his political mentor, Atiku Abubakar, to the PDP.
“The APC is doing the same thing we have been accusing other political parties of. People are in serious poverty and the APC is not doing anything to alleviate the suffering of the masses,” he alleged.
He said he could not stay in a party that could not serve the citizens properly. “I am in politics to serve my people, directly or indirectly. I have severally decamped from one party to another due their failures to serve the people. I can still leave any party that is not ready to serve the people.
“I am not regretting dumping the APC for the PDP. Our major political problem in Nigeria is that our political parties are not structured based on ideologies. Although they have manifestos, they lack ideologies, and that is why politicians cross to other parties to another anytime they want,” he said.
Ibrahim Little, a former chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Kano, is an influential grassroots politician and a gubernatorial candidate.
One month after Little defected to the PDP, his political associate and former House of Representatives member, Bala Ya’u Baiko, with over 2,000 supporters, also left the ruling party, saying the APC lacked internal democracy. According to him, since the formation of the APC, members of the defunct ANPP are not carried along in the scheme of things.
He said, “Since the formation of the APC, nobody cares to consult him or his supporters on anything related to the party in the state. They only contact us when election approaches in order to get our votes.
“I have decided to join my mentor, Ibrahim Little, in the PDP because I will never be comfortable to be in one political party while my mentor is in another. I joined the PDP so that together we can help the party win the forthcoming elections in Kano.’’
The former lawmaker is a popular politician in Kumbotso Local Government Area and its surroundings. He contributed a lot to the formation of the APC and its victory in the last general elections. The man is still vibrant in politics, and he can play a significant role in Kano politics.
Just last week, another grassroots politician and a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Lawan Shehu Bichi, alongside his supporters, decamped to the APC from PDP.
It was observed that the Ganduje-led camp in the APC was impressed with this development because Bichi is the hometown of the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Rabi’u Sulaiman Bichi, who is a strong pillar of the Kwankwasiyya movement.
Receiving the decamped politicians in Bichi Local Government Area, Governor Ganduje said the action of the former member of the House of Representatives and his supporters was a clear indication that the PDP is diminishing in Kano.
Ganduje said, “Anytime you see grassroots politicians leaving a particular political party, you should expect the total collapse of that party. Lawan is a grassroots politician in the highest order. He is an influential and accepted politician who served as chairman of Bichi local government for several terms before he moved to the House of Representatives.
“The crowd that accompanied him to the APC is a testimony that he is still influential and cannot be joked with. I can assure you that we are ready to work hand-in-hand with you to move the state forward politically and otherwise.’’
Responding, Bichi said they were in the APC to help Governor Ganduje and President Muhammadu Buhari to develop Kano and Nigeria respectively.
“It is an obligation upon us to work closely with you to ensure that you and President Buhari succeed in your political undertakings. We have been monitoring your political activities and we have confidence that you are the type of politician we can work with to develop Kano,” he concluded.
Like Baiko, Bichi is a strong local politician that can play a vital role during elections.