Suleiman Anyalewechi, Aba
Barring any last minute change of mind by the dramatis personae in the supremacy rift between the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and former Governor of kano state, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his immediate successor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the trenches appear set to deepen with more combatants enlisting in readiness for the battle for the ultimate prize – the soul of kano royal throne NewsCritic online can authoritatively reveal.
NewsCritic reports that the political space has been regaled for weeks now with the news of the battle of attrition between the duo over the control of the political soul of the commercial nerve center of the North.
The new helmsman in the state Gov Abba Kabir Yusuf, a protege and frontline member of the Kwankwaso political school of thought, has been working assiduously to whittle down, if not completely erase the political footprints of his predecessor- Ganduje unarguably on the promptings of kwankwaso. As at the time of writing this report no fewer than 70 structures worth several billions of naira had been demolished by the new regime, citing encroachment on public property by the Ganduje’s administration as major reason.
The demolished buildings are widely believed to belong to people considered to be loyal to the former Gov Ganduje. The demolition comes the same time the two political gladiators are engaged in the trading of words over imminent roles in the nascent Tinubu presidency.
For one, the path to the current political brick-bat between the duo was charted way back in 2015 following series of unsuccessful attempts by Kwankwaso to teleguide his successor from his senate seat in Abuja.
The frosty relationship that resulted was accentuated by the body language of then national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, now president who was not pretentious as to his intentions to have Ganduje as his running mate, during the just concluded presidential elections. Close watchers of Tinubu’s political moves before the elections proper did not gloat over the fact that Ganduje literally headed all APC major assignments, including the gubernatorial elections in Edo and Osun states.
Informed sources told NewsCritic online that these developments never went down well with Kwankwaso who saw the realization of the agenda as signalling his political end in kano.
Efforts to abort the prospect of Ganduje becoming the vice president climaxed with the orchestration of the now infamous ‘Gandollar gate’ which though obviously stage managed effectively cast a huge baggage on the political career of Ganduje. The move which an impeccable source revealed was allegedly executed with the active connivance of a former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, governor and former governor of a prominent Northwest state was also meant to truncate the second term ambition of Ganduje as at the time it was hatched in 2019.
This newspaper also gathered on authority that the current political battle was ignited ostensibly by the Kwankwaso group to create a gulf between Ganduje and President Tinubu, with a view to emerging as the undisputable leader of Kano politics.
NewsCritic reports that following the defeat of the APC in the gubernatorial elections in the state, Ganduje had convinced the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC and the president to cede strong positions to Kano with a view to using same to rally supporters in the absence of a Governor.
This led to the position of the Speaker of the 10th National Assembly and unspecified ministerial slots to be ceded. However, our sources have revealed that this development is not going down well with Kwankwaso who it is believed is presently mulling joining APC and becoming its leader in the state in the near future.”
“The major reason you see Kwankwaso is running up and down is to push Ganduje out of Tinubu’s political calculations. The president as you know is already planning for 2027 and most of his appointments now will factor in that. Kwankwaso is creating the impression that he is the one in control of kano and the biggest mistake President Tinubu will make is to lean towards him at the expense of those who have shown him strong loyalty all this while, “a source said.
While the supremacy battle rages, NewsCritic has gathered that very soon the issue of the deposed Emir of Kano and former CBN Governor will rear its head as there are alleged plans to bring back the former traditional ruler to the throne, in keeping with agreed terms with the Kwankwaso camp.
NewsCritic reports that the former Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was deposed by the Ganduje administration about two years ago following allegations of misconduct levelled against him and was subsequently banished to Lafia in Nassarawa state.
“The ultimate game plan is to bring him back but l know that it will be the most expensive gamble this government will embark upon. This is because all said, the deposed Emir is not popular with the people and is completely detached from them. In the first place, he came third in selection process that enthroned him. The person that came first was the present occupant of the position. But because of pressure from some forces who wanted to compensate him (Sanusi), he was chosen. Even at that Kwankwaso who was then Governor knowing the volatile nature of kano and the implications of imposing an unpopular Emir developed cold feet, Ganduje his deputy had to step in and dared the consequences. The government had to announce the new Emir at an odd hour.
Ironically, the deposed Emir almost immediately joined Kwankwaso to fight Ganduje when the problem began between the two political leaders.
They tested the waters on May 29 during the inauguration, when they invited the deposed Emir knowing full well what the law and tradition say concerning a deposed Emir visiting his former domain. But the former Emir in his wisdom didn’t honour the invitation. And you cannot believe it on that inauguration day, they rented some people to jeer the sitting Emir thinking that the deposed Emir will come. All the same, we are watching. But people should know when not to cross the red line in the pursuit of their political interests, “one of the sources revealed.
