The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday took a swipe at a former governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in last year’s election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over his plan ahead of the 2027 election in the state.
Kwankwaso had said he would work assiduously to whittle down the influence of the APC in Kano State to ensure that the party’s votes were reduced to less than 15,000.
He spoke when he hosted former councillors and senior special advisers who served under his administration at his residence in Kano.
Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, said the NNPP has made remarkable progress in the polity because of the tireless efforts of his team.
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The former governor who reflected on the 2023 general election, said, “Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027.”
He emphasised the need for grassroots mobilisation to ensure that the NNPP remained a dominant political force in the state.
Kwankwaso also urged his supporters to remain steadfast and committed to delivering results that would ensure the party’s success in future elections.
But reacting, the APC Director of Publicity, Alhaji Bala Ibrahim, said Kwankwaso and his team were not a threat to the APC chances, saying critical stakeholders of the APC including the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje would deliver the party.
The party added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was putting measures in place that would endear him more to the people of Kano before the 2027 elections.
The APC said, “It’s like taking a cup of water out of the sea or ocean. That will not in any way disrupt the flow or the overwhelming majority of water in the sea. So yes, Kano is a very key and central state. In fact, it is a determinant in the scheme of politics in Nigeria.
“But Kwankwaso should not forget the fact that the national chairman of the ruling party is from Kano as well and he was also a governor; a strong governor.
“He was the last person on the seat before the incumbent governor. So he has supporters. And the president is doing things that will endear him more to the people of Kano before 2027.
“So Kwankwaso is not saying he will win the election. He is saying he will take some of our votes, which means he knows that the total votes will be ours, but some of it will be picked by him, which will not in any way disrupt our victory.”
Similarly, chairman of the Kano State chapter of the APC, Prince Abdullahi Abass in a statement on Thursday called on Kwankwaso to “stop daydreaming” and channel his energy towards “reclaiming his membership” in the NNPP.
The APC described Kwankwaso as a political refugee who has allegedly chosen to cling to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf like a leech in a futile attempt to regain relevance in the scheme of things in the country.
“Our teeming supporters in the APC have no cause to worry about Kwankwaso who has been booted out of NNPP due to his cluelessness and self-centeredness. We expect
Kwankwaso to keep wondering why he has become a wanderer in the political terrain,” the APC said.
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