INSIDEPOLITICS Ganduje, Kwankwaso can reconcile – Bibi Farouk
Dr. Farouk Bibi Farouk is a former Commissioner for Land Development in Kano State and supporter of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. He speaks on the disagreements between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso as well as issues affectin
Daily Trust: There are ongoing efforts to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in some states. How far can this be achieved before the 2019 general elections?
It is very unfortunate and painful for those of us in the APC, especially in Kano, to be among those to be reconciled as a result of the differences. The major forces in Kano APC had worked very hard to ensure the victory of the APC in Kano was 100 per cent. Votes recorded in Kano were the highest in any presidential election ever. The ANPP/CPC alliance gave rise to the APC and the leader of APC in Kano when the alliance took place was then governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. I would like to look at it as a problem between the government and party structure. It is not a real political party problem. The present governor has surrounded himself with people who are not willing to tell him the truth and he probably feels he cannot defer to the structures that brought about the victory he is enjoying.
DT: What truth is the governor not being exposed to?
The truth of the matter is that if you win an election and you have people who worked hard to ensure that you win, to a large extent you should accommodate them and not allow hostility from your camp against them because power is very difficult to handle. You see things from a different perspective when you are in power. You have to accept that everybody will come under your umbrella in order to be accommodated. Some of them may please or displease you but whatever happens, as a leader, you should accommodate them.
DT: There are complaints that Senator Kwankwaso wants to dictate the day-to-day running of the state, what about that?
When I was in the cabinet, I did not see clear evidence of Kwankwaso trying to dictate affairs. I don’t know about their personal or individual relationships. What I know is that the Kwankwaso structure had been quite dominant in Kano politics from the beginning of this administration and to a large extent, now. A lot of people in the Kwankwaso structure might not have had a cordial relationship with Ganduje when he was deputy governor and that’s probably why he is preventing them from participating in governance. If I were Governor Ganduje, I would have taken it easy until power shows itself. If I had worked with a person as my boss and I took over that seat, I would defer to him for a very long time, knowing that he held that position too. Knowing that I served him well, I will be the last person to be seen disparaging him especially in the public. I will tolerate him like I did for the years we had been together.
DT: Don’t you think the people would feel you are saying this because you are now out of government?
Probably, that is why I am out of government. I have taken a position of not being sycophantic, or cohabiting with people who would not tell Governor Ganduje the truth, or working towards bringing more conflicts and disaffection among APC members. Maybe that’s the reason why some people would not want me to remain in that system, where you are expected to insult and disrespect leaders. I have a personal principle and training that whoever has been a leader deserves respect. Even if you are correcting the mistakes of such a person, you should do it with dignity and respect. That was the position I held when I was in government, not to allow myself to be used in the conflict between Governor Ganduje and Senator Kwankwaso, especially to be used to insult and disparage Senator Kwankwaso. I did not accept that and I did not do it.
DT: This kind of conflict is happening in other APC-ruling states and is reportedly distracting the federal government, do you see the APC coming out of this before 2019?
It is one of the things I understood clearly from the beginning. If you take over power and you see issues that can bring crisis and conflict when you have an objective and a target, be the last person to allow your administration to fall into that crisis because you might be diverted into other issues and then lose focus, and end up not achieving your objective.
DT: You have worked with both Ganduje and Kwankwaso, how can they be reconciled?
Political reconciliation is not an impossible venture. One common thing I see Political reconciliation is not an impossible venture. One common thing I see in them is that they are all in love with the state. I do not believe that any one of them, having gone through what they went through, would want to do anything that would have a negative effect on the future of the state. in them is that they are all in love with the state. I do not believe that any one of them, having gone through what they went through, would want to do anything that would have a negative effect on the future of the state. There is a basis for them to understand each other.
DT: Why do you think Governor Ganduje removed you as a commissioner from his government?
I took a position that did not please a few people in the administration, probably I did not allow myself to be used to disparage, insult or disgrace the leaders of the party. I did that on personal conviction.
DT: Would you say your invitation by the police has anything to do with your removal from government?
It was a very shocking development that almost made me become a refugee in my state. Suddenly, I started receiving invitations from a DPO late in the night, inviting me for issues that I had no idea about. I tried to interview the person to know if it was a personal or official matter but he was not forthcoming. He kept telling me it was an official matter that could not be discussed on the phone. I found it very questionable. So I have gotten in touch with my lawyers and they have advised me to allow them intervene in the matter.
DT: What do you think the APC should do before 2019?
The APC should focus on delivering the dividends of democracy. The conflicts that I see are normal party things. They are only being exaggerated because of the inability to take control of the Nigerian situation and deliver the dividends of democracy. The issues of skyrocketing prices of commodities and other economic concerns are actually more problematic to the government than the internal conflict. I do not think that resolving internal conflicts and allowing the economy to go the way it is going, will make the party strong enough to fight any opposition.
DT: The APC is yet to take an official stand on Buhari for the 2019 presidential elections, how do you want the party to handle this issue?
It is only becoming delicate when you look at the health issues of the president. Naturally, it is expected that anybody who has the constitutional opportunity to contest an election should not surrender that right. From my experience in politics, a sitting president can always be defeated in a general election, but I have not seen instances where party primaries are able to get rid of a sitting president. I can remind you of Jonathan when there were issues of party and zoning. The party said there was zoning and anybody was free to contest, but there was no primary. That is why in the United States, when there is a sitting president, you don’t conduct primaries if the president is interested. For the APC, it is a choice between delivering dividends of democracy within the shortest possible period and having a strong president. Buhari is a strong president, though nature is beginning to take a toll on him.
DT: Since former President Obasanjo said the Igbos should take a shot at the presidency in 2019, defection to the APC by politicians from the South-East has gained momentum. What is your take on this?
From 1999 to date, the instrument of politics has been zoning. And no matter how you look at it, it has generated political sympathy and results. I have not played the zoning card, I have been against zoning, but I am not against an Igbo president so long as he is a good person who can take this country out of the woods. I’m in support of anybody who has the ability. There is nothing wrong for Obasanjo who is a beneficiary of zoning to think that it is the time of the Igbos.