The Kano State Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Usaini Isa Mai Riga, has declared that he would not hand over the control of the party structure to former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, formally joined the NDC on Sunday alongside Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Riga told Premier Radio in Kano, Mai Riga that two separate meetings aimed at integrating Kwankwaso into the party collapsed over disagreements on leadership arrangements.
“He wants us to hand over the entire party to him, despite the sacrifices we made when the party had little or no presence,” Mai Riga said, and vowed to resist any attempt to displace the current executives.
“This will not happen. We will pursue all lawful avenues to ensure that the party structure is not hijacked,” he said, adding that the NDC’s national leadership directed the suspension of the planned state congress in Kano for Kwankwaso to take over, despite similar congresses proceeding in other states.
“We were instructed not to hold the congress because of plans to hand over the structure. That is why I am not at the venue today. We will not allow the rights of our members to be trampled upon,” he said.
He said Kwankwaso has yet to formally engage with the state executive committee, delegating discussions to former deputy governor, Aminu Abdussalam.
The former governor who defected to the NDC causing tension in the state chapter, arrived in Kano on Monday to meet with close allies to deliberate on electoral strategies and party congresses ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The spokesperson II of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Mansur Kurugu, said Kwankwaso or his followers are not in NDC to take over structures, but to grow the party for the betterment of all.
He said “there is no issue worth talking about here, the national leadership of the party is the one who halted the congress and it will soon take place, nobody is taking over anything from anyone.
“Of course you don’t expect somebody like Kwankwaso to join any party and you say he won’t have a say in it in his state. But the Chairman should calm down, a state congress will be held and everyone will get what he deserves.”
