The feud between the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State over the North West vice chairmanship has been termed a litmus that will make or mar the party’s success in the state in 2023.
The feud seems to have resisted attempts to resolve it months after violence broke out at the botched Kaduna zonal congress of the party. It was reported that the election of the North West zonal executives of the party suffered a setback following the dispute between the camps of former Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and that of a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, over the zonal vice chairmanship.
It would be recalled that the position has been zoned to Kano State, hence the battle between the two camps to grab the position to brighten their chances ahead of the 2023 elections. The battle, according to many political analysts, means a lot to both camps as it is what will define their fates in 2023.
Similarly, indicators have been showing that the feud has been enjoying some external support, as a serving PDP governor in the North West is said to be backing one of the camps.
While commenting on the matter, the spokesman of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, said the crisis could have been avoided if leaders of the party like Wali had not reneged on an agreement to put forward Mohammed Jamo as the consensus candidate for the position.
He added that the Kwankwaso group would not fold its arms and watch the other group humiliate it while it was in the right direction based on the agreement.
However, Muhammina Bako Lamido, a factional chairman of the party in the state loyal to Wali’s camp, insisted that there was no agreement on any consensus candidate.
According to Bashar Bello Babagana, a Kano-based political scientist, the party’s inability at the national level to resolve the issue has shown that there is a clash of interests within its leadership.
Lamido said, “If the national body of PDP has not resolved the Kwankwaso and Wali issue months after it erupted, it shows that the issue has gone beyond the boundaries of Kano or the North West. This will definitely spell doom for the party in the state and by extension the nation because both heads of the camps are very important figures towards the party’s success in 2023.”
With the current disagreement between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, many political analysts have predicted an alliance between Kwankwaso and Shekarau, many also asked, “Under which political platform.”
The disagreement between Shekarau and Ganduje and that of Kwankwaso and Wali will be very hard to resolve as unconfirmed reports have revealed that Ganduje and Wali have been enjoying a political romance since 2019 as Wali’s son, Sadiq, has been serving in Ganduje’s executive council as a commissioner.
However, a source close to the Kwankwaso camp told 21st Century Chronicle that there was every possibility for Kwankwaso and Shekarau to settle before the 2023 general elections.
The source added that when that was done it would definitely not be under PDP or APC, but under a different party that would accommodate both leaders’ political aspirations.
The question remains, will Kwankwaso and Shekarau still maintain their political parties?
