Facts have emerged on circumstances surrounding the strained relationship between one of the leading Hausa political singers in the country and President Muhammadu Buhari’s praise singer, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, and his former principal, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State.
Keen observers of the Kano political space are surprised to see such enduring relationship between the singer, and the governor crumbled overnight. Rarara played prominent role believed in Ganduje’s re-election campaign in 2019.
The matter came to the alarming point when Rarara dumped Ganduje and pitched his tent with a former aide to President Buhari, Sha’aban Sharada, a member representing the Kano Municipal Federal Constituency and the gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in the state.
Many believe that the singer’s decision is a clear indication that he is not supporting Ganduje’s anointed All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and deputy governor of the state.
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Recall that Sha’aban was at the forefront of the battle for the APC leadership in the state with Governor Ganduje’s camp. Sharada was part of the G7, a group comprising five federal lawmakers of the state, and other key party members. He later joined the ADP and picked the party’s governorship ticket.
The development generated serious concerns especially in the Ganduje’s camp, taking into consideration the timing and the impact of the singer in the state and national politics.
Rarara was believed to have been sidelined during the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s three-day visit to Kano. Other singers were allowed to showcase their talents during the event.
The making of Rarara
Rarara rose to stardom in 2007, when he produced a hit song ‘Ruwa Baba’, in which he sang the praises of his political master then, Abdullahi T. Gwarzo who deputized Governor Malam Ibrahim Shekarau from 2007 to 2011.
Rarara had considerable political romance at various times with two former governors of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, before siding with the incumbent Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and now Sharada.
The singer climbed to the zenith of his career when he becomes President Muhammadu Buhari’s praise singer and today, he is a household name in Nigeria’s political space.
How it began
It was gathered that the alleged feud between the state Ganduje and the singer started when the latter openly declared his support for Sharada who is a strong opponent of Ganduje, to the detriment of Ganduje’s anointed candidate, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.
As if to rub insult to injury, Rarara released a new song in which he was alleged to have ridiculed the governor.
It was, however, gathered that after the song went viral several agitations were made especially on social media, with some people insinuating that the governor ordered the demolition of the singer’s Kundila Zoo Road residence.
‘Rarara is ungrateful’
Commenting on the matter, a source close to the governor, said Rarara was full of himself, believing he made Ganduje governor in 2019.
The source said that the singer made some demands relating to elective positions preparatory to primaries from the governor as the condition to support the APC in the state.
He said, “He was making some demands as regards elective posts from the governor. He took the governor and the party for a joke.
“Nobody threatened to demolish his house. Ganduje is a law-abiding governor. Rarara is who is he today partly because of the governor. He is just ungrateful.
“He has made it public that he will not support our governorship candidate in the coming election. We will win without him.”
My colleagues pulling me down – Rarara
In a recent video interview, Rarara accused two unnamed colleagues of his of sponsoring the campaign against him, saying they were behind the said feud.
He said, “There are some of my colleagues, two singers, who were so bent on pulling me down. They should equally know that I and governor Ganduje are at the top and I have been there with the governor as a shield.
“Therefore, trying to pull me down means doing no good to the governor as such, they should understand that I am far ahead of them.”
He added that the two singers were busy going round Kano State asking for his property so that it would be seized or demolished.
He added, “What they didn’t know is that they may be tenants [in] or neighbours to some of my properties.”
My recent song not against Ganduje
In the same video interview, the singer argued that though his residence was not demolished, there was a move to bring it down, requesting that he should be allowed to demolish the house himself.
He, however, debunked the allegation that he mocked the governor in one of his latest songs, saying it was the governor’s supporters that misinterpreted the message therein.
He said, “It was just an intentional misinterpretation of my song to fuel a non-existing feud. As a singer, I have my ways with words and these words can be interpreted according to one’s understanding.”
Efforts by our correspondents to get Rarara’s reaction to the claim on the demands he made from Ganduje, proved abortive as his line was not reachable. He has also yet to respond to a message sent to him.
