Ganduje: I’m Ready for Reconciliation with Kwankwaso
Ibrahim Shuaibu
Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has disclosed his willingness to make himself available for reconciliation with his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
According to Ganduje, “I will make myself available to reconcile with Kwankwaso. I cannot have a political associate like Kwankwaso and he too cannot have political associate like me.”
In an interview with journalists in his office at weekend, Ganduje explained that his closeness with Kwankwaso has been a long time ago which makes them close political associates.
He said: “I cannot have a political associate in the rest of my life like Kwankwaso, and he too cannot have a political associate like me (Ganduje) for the rest of his life.”
The governor served as deputy governor for eight years during which he displayed loyalty to Kwankwaso.
He added: “That is all I can say over the issue because elaboration will give room for more noise.”
The relationship between Ganduje and his predecessor became sour after series of misunderstanding between the governor and associates of Kwankwaso.
However, APC stakeholders in the North-west, including Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, have continued to appeal to the two political rivals to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign.
Masari said: “I don’t think Kwankwaso or Ganduje can build any political alliance that will last to the time they have lasted.”
He told THISDAY in Katsina during an interview last week that “we are working behind the scene to see how we can bring the two of them together so that they can stop what they are doing to themselves because the energy the government is spending; the energy Kwankwaso is spending would have been used for the development of the state better than what is happening presently.”
Masari said: “I think there is a jinx in Kano which we are hoping the current leadership will break in the future because they have been together since 1999, and I don’t think Kwankwaso or Ganduje can build any political alliance that will last to the time they have lasted.
1999 to 2015 is not a joke, and I seriously doubt if they can build such political alliance again.
“So their political lives and careers are inter-twined. We thought with this political marriage and deep understanding between Kwankwaso and Ganduje, the political jinx in Kano would have been broken, because Malam Aminu Kano fell out with the late Abubakar Rimi, from then on, that of Sabo Barkinzuwo didn’t last more than three months. During the NRC and SDP, Kabiru Gaya parted ways with his people like Abba Dabo who was his former SSG. The crack was visible.
“Kwankwaso came in 1999 and parted ways with Musa Gwadabe and others. So, when Shekarau came, with all what General Muhammadu Buhari did for him, they fell apart in ANPP. Kwankwaso, while in PDP, fell out with the party again and joined the new PDP, later APC. So, we thought that at least this time, having been together for so long the jinx would have been broken.”