Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Wages of Pride
Pride destroys. This is one reality most people fail to face until it suddenly happens. This, perhaps, sums up the story of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and his dwindling influence in the state. While his reign lasted, after “making” Abdullahi Ganduje governor, Kwankwaso’s presence in Kano often brought government activities to a stop. He would summon Ganduje as soon as he was in town. His influence on Ganduje became imperious. For almost 10 months, Kwankwaso practically turned Ganduje (his erstwhile deputy) into a puppet. The man in Ganduje died, as he was taking instructions from Kwankwaso on virtually all issues. The former governor decided who got what, when and how much in the state. This former governor did not know when to show respect to the incumbent governor. Kwankwaso wanted him to remain his “house boy”. Just 10 months into this oppression, Ganguje woke up from his slumber and resisted the coercion. Three weeks ago, the Kano governor finally buried the Kwankwasiyya movement by fully taking over the party structure in the state with the installation of his man, Abdullahi Abbas as Kano State Chairman of APC. Senator Kabiru Gaya and Senator Barau Jibrin of Kano South and Kano North respectively, have also teamed up with Ganduje in this war against godfathers. It is heartwarming to note that Governor Ganduje is now a free man. He has fully dislodged members of the Kwankwasiyya Amana political movement in his cabinet and the Kano APC leadership in the interest of the people. However, Kwankwaso is putting pressure on the national leadership of the APC to recognise Umar Doguwa who was removed as the Kano APC Chairman. Odigie Oyegun has remained silent on this.
Some governors across the country are still under the yoke of their godfathers. Some of these incumbent governors are happy taking instructions from their predecessors. They are simply errand boys. I hope the development in Kano State will motivate these eaglet governors to fight for their emancipation from the shackles of godfathers. The story in town now is that Kwankwaso is planning to defect to the PDP and has vowed to replace the governor in 2019. This is the same PDP he destroyed in 2014. Suddenly, he wants to return to the camp of the conservatives after being humiliated in Kano APC. This country can’t make any progress with politicians like Kwankwaso. He should continue dreaming about uprooting Ganduje. With the way things are going in Kano State, I suspect that Kwankwaso would not wake up from his dream until after the 2019 elections. All powers belong to God and our politicians must learn to use power to the glory of God. My takeaway today is that we must always remember that we are in this world for the moment. This should always guide our actions and inactions.