Former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has given reasons why he is quitting the African Democratic Congress ADC he joined a couple of weeks ago Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Kwankwaso in a late Saturday night statement attributed his movement to the crisis bedevilling the ADC.
On his verified social media handles late Saturday, he said the crisis which made him and his followers dumped the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) was now affecting ADC.
Kwankwaso said this has got him been consulting widely, adding that discussions were ongoing with NDC.
According to him, he has asked his followers to watch out for the next line of action, which he said would be taken soon.
But the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habibu Mohammed, has let the cat out of the house when he categorically revealed on Friday night that his principal and Peter Obi will defect from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) next week.
Habibu said the decision was sealed after a unanimous endorsement by stakeholders.
He said stakeholders’ representatives from all 44 LGAs in Kano assembled at Kwankwaso’s residence on Friday around 3:30pm to weigh the options — and, in the end, agreed on the defection.
“The stakeholders have unanimously given him the go-ahead to move to the NDC,” he said.
According to Kwankwaso, “we have noted recent media reports and discussions suggesting a possible realignment within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) due to the current challenges facing the party.
“In light of the misleading narratives in the public domain, I wish to state categorically that no final decision has been taken regarding my political future or that of my political associates.
“The recent Supreme Court judgment, while affirming the legitimacy of the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC), also remitted the matter back to the High Court. This has left the party in a precarious position.
“In addition, the Federal High Court has recently ruled to delegitimise the party’s recent convention. The Attorney General of the Federation has also strangely applied to a Federal High Court to deregister the ADC.
“We left the NNPP due to externally influenced legal problems that made our stay perilous. The ADC has now been also forced into this difficulty.
“Consequently, like other major stakeholders, we have commenced wide-ranging consultations — including with leaders from the NDC, PRP and others to explore the best options for protecting our democratic interests. We shall announce our decision in the soonest possible time.”
Kwankwaso also clarified that he has not made up his mind to contest presidential candidacy in the ADC.
He said “I wish to recall my consistent record as a committed democrat. In the 2014 APC presidential primary, I came second to President Muhammadu Buhari (whom I fully supported to victory), with Atiku Abubakar third, Rochas Okorocha fourth, and the late Sam Nda-Isaiah fifth.
“Similarly, in 2019, I contested the PDP presidential ticket and immediately supported the winner, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, serving as the campaign’s coordinator in the North. I have always placed national interest and party unity above personal ambition.
“Furthermore, the ADC is yet to zone its presidential ticket or take any decision on a candidate. I have therefore neither declared any intention to run for president nor endorsed any aspirant. All speculations to the contrary are premature and unfounded.
“My absence from the two recent ADC stakeholders’ meetings was due to unavoidable personal commitments. I promptly communicated my apologies to the party leadership.
“We shall continue to engage constructively at all levels. Any definitive position on our political direction will be communicated formally through official channels at the appropriate time.”
