Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has described the recent coming together of two former governors of the state in a new political party as “political nomadism” that will cost both of them in the 2023 elections and beyond.
Recall that the former governor of the state, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau recently decamped from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) where he teamed up with his predecessor/successor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who had earlier dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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But speaking on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout on Sunday, Ganduje insisted that the chances of the APC remained high in the state despite the chain of defection that hit the party in recent times.
He said since Kwankwaso and Shekarau started changing political parties in 2014, both of them have been losing followers in every move they make and both teaming up now will not do any harm to the APC in Kano or Nigeria in general.
“The two former governors are important politicians, no doubt, but in politics, when you change parties, you tend to lose supporters at certain levels. We were together (with Kwankwaso) in PDP and we moved to APC and lost some followers, then he moved to PDP where he also lost some followers and now to a new party, NNPP where he has also lost some followers. The same thing with Shekarau who was in ANPP before joining PDP and then APC and not all his supporters followed him and now to NNPP.
“So, you can see that when people are on nomadism in terms of politicking, they tend to lose some followers along the line. So, I think we (APC) are formidable enough to win the election despite the fact the two (of them) have come together; but there is no doubt they are respected politicians and we respect each other,” he said.
On efforts made to keep Shekarau in the party, Ganduje said almost all the requests of the former governor were met but it was obvious he had made up his mind to leave the APC, wondering why Shekarau did not get any of the things he requested from APC at the NNPP apart from his senatorial ticket.
He also said Kwankwaso’s new party will not be able to make an impact on national politics as some are already suggesting, saying the former governor has failed several times nationally and most recently in the 2019 election when he “worked” for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Ganduje said he was unable to win the state or even his local government for the PDP.
Reacting, the spokesman for Shekarau, Dr. Sule Ya’u Sule said the whole world will see what will happen in 2023. “We wait to see what will happen in 2023. We will see whether his (Ganduje) postulation will come to past or not,” he added.
Also reacting, Sanusi Bature, the Coordinator of Kwankwasiyya Media Centre, said the governor is still reacting “painfully” to losing one of the two gladiators of Kano politics as well as his Chief of Staff to the NNPP, saying with both gladiators (Kwankwaso and Shekarau) now teaming up, Kano citizens now have the option to choose and the choice will be seen by all in 2023.
“The two political pillars (of Kano) are Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and both of them are working together for the common good of Kano,” he added.
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