Former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has mocked the reaction of his successor, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking to DAILY POST on Tuesday through Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, his Senior Legislative Aide, SLA, Kwankwaso said Ganduje’s labeling of his defection as inconsequential was an attempt to “impress” President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ganduje had, in a statement signed by Abba Anwar, his Chief Press Secretary, dismissed Kwankwaso’s exit, saying it would pose no problem for President Buhari or the ruling APC.
He had said: ”Their defection will not constitute any problem to our great party, the APC, at all levels. People should keep their eyes (open) to what will happen during election.
“Our dear President has been doing the needful in terms of developing the nation, coupled with his efforts in efficient service delivery.
“I want you to go and study the situation on ground in Kano, his (Kwankwaso ‘s) defection does not change the political mood in the state. Nobody cares to be disturbed by their action”.
But Abdulsalam, who was Kwankwaso’s Chief of Staff, declared that the governor would swallow his words after the 2019 general elections.
He said: “Only a political neophyte, who has no understating, could say that Kwankwaso’s exit from the APC would not mean anything.
“Going by experience and whoever is a student of history, very recent history for that matter, knows what happened in the PDP; when those in power at that time did not listen to the voices of wisdom.
“When Kwankwaso and co decided to leave PDP, a group of five governors and lawmakers including the House of Reps Speaker (Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal), the likes of Ganduje were dismissing them. They said their action would amount to nothing.
“We will definitely see… Kwankwaso, a former two-term governor, a prominent personality, the most popular Governor in Nigeria while in office, now a member of the Senate, a former Defence Minister, a former Deputy Speaker, and you are saying he is not significant.
“I don’t know the parameters, the statistics they are using. I think it sounds more of sycophancy and trying to impress the presidency to convince them that there is no problem.
“But the presidency knew there is a problem and that was why they were making very frantic and desperate efforts to stop them at the last hour.
“Kwankwaso left APC with a minimum of 6 members of the Kano House of Assembly, with about 10 members of the National Assembly. We decided to leave and we have very good reasons for that.
“You said he’s not on the ground, who’s on the ground. Time will tell, let’s wait and see. This is Kano, elections are approaching. We will definitely see who is in charge.”
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