What started as mere intra-party crisis in the Kano New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) is now threatening to open up a wide crack between the party’s national leader, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and his anointed Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
The Kwankwaso-Governor Yusuf debacle is reminiscent of the FCT Minister Nyesom Wike – Governor Simi Fubara’s in Rivers and Nasiru El-Rufai – Governor Uba Sani’s in neighboring Kaduna state.
Wike and El-Rufai were both succeeded by their party men loyalists. Only Governor Yusuf succeeded an opposition party, APC’s Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Recent happenings in the party show that the party is on the verge of being divided along loyalty lines as supporters loyal to both party leaders are threatening to break the party into two.
Rumours are rife that the national leader, Senator Kwankwaso is operating a third term agenda as he controls the government after its court battles and its subsequent victory. It has also be claimed that the national leader is behind all the juicy appointments made by the Abba-led administration as Abba Kabir Yusuf is said to be too submissive to his master, the Senator.
However, when it became clear that the state government is set to conduct the state local government elections, many party members began to lobby for the party’s ticket across the 44 local governments in the state, but ironically, it was gathered that only those loyal to Kwankwaso were given the tickets to fly the party’s flag.
This development didn’t go down well with many NNPP party members, particularly those holding political positions such as the Senators and state House of Assembly members and other political office holders in the state. Their supporters launched an intra-party protest which gradually became open as a movement within the party with the slogan ‘Abba Tsaya da Kafarka’ meaning ‘Abba be on your own feet’.
The man behind the agitation, Abba Gambo Rimin Gata is said to be a right-hand man to the state Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abdullahi Baffa Bichi. Rimin Gata said it is time for the state governor to be on his own as a duly elected governor. “We can’t continue to be subservient to the so-called national leader. He has done his part and therefore should allow the state governor to do his own as well. We have had enough of this dictatorial act of the national leader,” he said.
Another prominent NNPP member who also contested the post of chairman in Kano Municipal local government, Garzali Obasanjo came out openly to reveal that he and his people are in full support of the move to free the state governor from Kwankwaso. He is also said to be close to the SSG.
Some political analysts in the state are now linking the movement with the SSG, though he had disputed the claim, stating that he has no hand in the newly formed movement within the party.
It was, however, gathered that the SSG and a serving commissioner in the local government area have been nurturing a struggle to free the state governor from the grip of the national leader.
This movement met a strong opposition from the national leader’s loyalists who are said to be at the helm of the party’s affairs in the Bichi local government area where both political party office holders belong to.
It was reported that Governor Yusuf tried to broker peace between the political office holders and the party leadership in the area but hours after the said peace accord, the state party leadership controlled by Kwankwaso announced the suspension of the SSG and the Commissioner of transportation, Muhammad Diggol.
A day after the suspensions were announced, Kwankwaso refused to comment on the matter when confronted by the media, saying “Don’t involve me in Kano NNPP crisis.”
Moreover, happenings like the investigation launched by the State Anti-corruption and Public Complaints Commission’s into an alleged N1.5 billion foreign scholarship fraud have also been said to be a fallout of the crisis. It was reported that already, two top officials of the state Ministry of Higher Education have been interrogated in connection with the issue of 1,001 students supposedly studying in India and Kenya, though names and designation of the two officials of the ministry being interrogated have not been made public.
A political analyst in the state Malam Idris Basheer said, indicators are showing that the movement of freeing the state governor from Kwankwaso’s net is gaining ground. According to him, it is not going to be a thing of surprise if Governor Yusuf announces a total departure from Kwankwaso in no distant time.
According to him, the state governor has been under intense pressure especially in regard with the state emirate’s council tussle.
“The national leader refused to assist the state Governor in his trying moments, no doubt he contributed to the success of NNPP in the state but he folded his arms when the state governor was faced with serious issues like the emirates tussle. Indicators also show that Kwankwaso has monopolised the state government. You can remember that a few months ago, one of the governor’s closest allies resigned his position in the Kano state government on the basis that he cannot serve a governor that can’t fight his own battles. Resistance in such a situation is inevitable, hence the movement we are currently facing in the state,” he said.
In a fresh development, it was also reported that Governor Yusuf has allegedly refused to sack two top government functionaries as directed by his political godfather, a move sources close to the party said would definitely spark crisis.
According to a source close to the governor, the persons Kwankwaso wants to be removed are the Commissioner for Information, Baba Dantiye, and the SSG whose suspension the NNPP had already announced.
It was also revealed that Kwankwaso had also sent a name that would replace the information commissioner.
Another source within the party told our reporter that the Governor had left the state for Abuja while Senator Kwankwaso, was in the state. The party source further revealed that Kwankwaso had been holding meetings with party loyalists, such as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Jibril Falgore, political appointees, and stakeholders from various Local Government Areas of the state over undisclosed issues.
Interestingly, in the middle of the crisis a faction emerged claiming to be the original NNPP in the state. Barrister Dalhatu Shehu was said to have announced himself as the leader of the original NNPP in Kano state, stating that they have reversed the party logo to its original form.
“We are the rightful owners of the party because we are in possession of its registration certificate. We have expelled Kwankwaso and his allies from the party as well as informed the State Independent Electoral commission about our party members that will contest the upcoming local government election, but unfortunately, we have observed that the commission regards names submitted to it by Kwankwaso,” he said.
However, the chairman of the party faction loyal to Kwankwaso said those making the false declaration are working for the opposition as NNPP remains one.
