Abdusalam Abdulkarim Zaura was the candidate for the Kano Central Senatorial District in the 2023 elections on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview, he says that despite the setback suffered by the party in Kano during the last general elections, it remains upbeat. He also speaks on some of the factors that worked against the party in the state during the presidential and National Assembly elections, among other things.
What do you have to say about the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) government in Kano?
I think there is nothing much to say about a government that is in court. You cannot justify where the government is. Is it the government of Abba Kabiru Yusuf or that of the APC? Until the court decides, then we can speak about the government. The issue in Kano State is in court.
At the moment, the NNPP is in government, but those of us in the APC don’t believe that it is legitimate. The government belongs to us, and by the grace of God, we will collect it. We took it at two stages: tribunal and the Court of Appeal, so it belongs to us. We are waiting for the verdict of the Supreme Court to take back our government.
Your party lost the presidential and National Assembly elections in Kano to the NNPP and you didn’t challenge the results, but you are challenging that of the governorship; don’t you think there would be anger and protests among the people if you succeed in taking the mandate from the present party in power in the state?
Well, in every circumstance, one issue would lead to grudges. Even in the main election, there was anger. A lot of people protested. So, it doesn’t make any difference if this government was taken during election or after the tribunal because the system allows that. Definitely, there are supporters of the other side.
When we lost we abided by the law and the constitution that was given to the NNPP and the supporters remained calm. So, I expect that if it goes to us they would remain calm. This is what the constitution and courts say.
You were on the ballot during the elections; why did your party lose the senatorial and a lot of House of Representatives seats, as well as the presidency?
If someone told me that we were going to lose a single seat of either the House of Representatives or Senate in Kano, I would categorically tell you no. But of course, before the elections, so many things happened that worked against our party. For example, it was at the same period that they redesigned the naira; and it was not available. You had N100,000 or N20,000 in your account and could not have access to N100 to eat.
Coming to the place where I contested, for a period of two years, no person raised a voice that they didn’t want the APC. Anywhere I passed, people adored me and the APC. As I campaigned, people cheered us; they came out to wave at us, some even shed tears of joy.
The naira redesign put people in serious hardship, and you expected them to go to the same party? It was at that same time that people slept in petrol stations and at the ATMs just to get money. You don’t expect to win an election in the midst of such calamity.
Unfortunately, one had already built a structure and someone from nowhere came and destroyed it overnight and imposed hardship on people, putting them into terrible situations. People were even losing lives. I can categorically give you a list of people I knew that died due to hunger.
Those were the terrible things that happened to us and the APC in Kano. However, that arrangement was not aimed at Kano but Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to win the presidential election. They changed the naira because they said Asiwaju kept a lot of money. But God willing, today we have the centre and Asiwaju is the president. Where are they?
Another factor was because Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was contesting to be president and he is a Kano person. A lot of people wanted to see him become the president without minding whoever was on the other side.
Should the NNPP and other parties form a coalition, what do you think would be the future of the APC in Kano State?
I can tell you that if we go out tomorrow to cast votes in Kano, the APC would emerge winner. No party will beat the APC in Kano. The people have realised the situation because something happened. Some didn’t know what they did until after the declaration.
What is driving this new change of mind?
A lot of things; you have even seen it in the media. The NNPP came into power barely a week and destroyed property worth billions of naira. What is the focus of the government – the comfort of the people or taking them backwards? What happened? Look at what the APC did in eight years and what happened in less than 200 days of this government. That is enough for the people to judge.
For a man that has tasted more of the bitter side of politics than the positives, what is the future like for you?
There is always a saying that when you strike hard you get it hard and get stronger. When you strike soft and it hits you hard, you collapse. I am someone the system has prepared to be stronger. I am someone that finds it hard but I am stronger daily. Don’t forget that in 2019, I contested for the governorship under another party but I was dealt with by bigger parties. I am getting stronger by the day. The more I find it hard, the harder I am. I am still there, resilient, focused and ready to face bigger challenges. We are aiming to build a more dominating party. By the grace of God, let me say no going back.
There was a $1.3million fraud allegation against you; how would you react to that?
Have you heard about it again after the election? That is enough for you to know that it is a political issue. Who does the money belong to? Have you seen any person in Kano complain? There was nobody. If there is an issue of $1.3million, there should be a complainant standing for his money, not an agency representing somebody you don’t see. Can you represent a ghost or someone that doesn’t exist? If somebody goes somewhere and reports a petition against you, you will know. You should come out and justify your money if someone is holding it. The court struck out the case because it lacked merit. There was nothing.
As someone that has accomplished much and made name through business and politics, what can you tell young people about business or politics?
There is nothing you can make overnight. This is why there is a saying that nothing good comes easy. In the past I used to go to the comment section to read what people are saying, but I have stopped. When you go there you would discover that a lot of people don’t even know what they are saying. Somebody may end up saying something bitter, not knowing that he/she is very wrong.
If a young person wants to make it, there are always processes. He or she should go legitimately and do something that would build him tomorrow. Let us take education as an example, you don’t just wake up and become educated or a lecturer, you will move from primary school to secondary school, then higher institutions to acquire knowledge to become what you are. So you don’t just wake up and become a millionaire overnight. There are processes. Anybody that wants to go faster than his speed will fall. Go gently, be yourself and work hard and you will make it.
