The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has started taking advantage of the crisis in the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to woo the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, to its fold.
This is as the presidential candidate and leader of the party, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a former Governor of Kano State, has set up a four-member committee to kick start the process of a reconciliation between him and Doguwa.
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Daily Trust reports that Doguwa served as an aide to Kwankwaso in 1999 when the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement governed the state but the relationship between them later went sour.
Doguwa, in an address to his supporters late Friday, indicated readiness to reunite with his former boss, saying if Kwankwaso should call him or send a two-man delegation to condole with him over his (Doguwa) father’s death, he would sheath his sword against the former governor.
Despite insisting he remained committed to APC, Doguwa lauded the political sagacity of Kwankwaso and swore that he would put an end to the enmity if Kwankwaso extended the olive branch to him either directly or through emissaries.
But giving an update on the moves by NNPP and Kwankwaso to hijack the current situation on Sunday, the Member representing Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal Constituency, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, said Kwankwaso had accepted the condition given by Doguwa and had set up a four-member committee to kick start the reconciliation process, which was to pay a condolence visit to Doguwa as soon as possible.
Rurum, a former Speaker of the House of Assembly, who recently defected from the APC to the NNPP, said the committee was “under the leadership of Sen Rufa’i Sani Hanga, with my humble self, the state Chairman of our party, Hon Umar Haruna Doguwa and Hon Sarki Aliyu Daneji as members of the delegation.
“At some point, most of us were in different parties against His Excellency, Engr Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, but after realising his political sagacity, we reunited with him in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and I can confirm to you that we are much comfortable now than ever.
“I am therefore assuring the house leader of a warm reception back to the Kwankwasiyya political movement and the NNPP as he was once a member of its kitchen cabinet.
“I am talking with the consent of Sen Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and on behalf of the four-man committee. In politics, no permanent friend, so also no permanent enemy, but we want to promote friendship, not enmity.”
Daily Trust reports that Doguwa, while addressing his supporters on Friday, insisted that the fight between him and the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Murtala Sule Garo, was just the beginning. While using denigrating words to describe Garo, Doguwa said he would contact his lawyers to investigate whether or not Garo attended tertiary institutions as claimed.
Doguwa had also admitted he was behind the defacing of the face of Garo on APC posters in the state metropolis as a revenge for the defacing of his (Doguwa) own posters during the visit of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, to the state late October.
The Friday assault was coming on the heels of a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and spokesperson for Gawuna/Garo Campaign Council, Mohammad Garba, insisting that the “minor” disagreement had been resolved while warning party members not to allow NNPP to take advantage of the situation to sow seed of discord in the ruling party.
Daily Trust further reports that analysts are already suggesting that with his fight with Garo, Doguwa may suffer a similar faith that cost Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa his return ticket to the green chamber for Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency in 2019 when he (Kofa) had a showdown with the party leadership and leaders of the party were seen to have endorsed and campaigned for his opponent, then candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ali Datti Yako, during a rerun election.
Doguwa is facing a stiff challenge to return to the green chamber in 2023 from the candidate of the NNPP, Air Commodore Salisu Yushau (Rtd).
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