After securing the Kano central senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is facing mounting obstacles on the road to the Senate.
Kwankwaso, who was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 1990s, resolved to stage a comeback to the National Assembly when he lost his bid to secure the APC presidential ticket.
The governor got the APC senatorial ticket on what could be described as a platter of gold as his son-in-law, Alhaji Abba K Yusuf, the flag-bearer, withdrew from the race for him. But the hurdles to reach the Senate are coming from both within the APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Apart from the strategies of the PDP candidate, incumbent Senator Bashir Lado, the presidency and the aggrieved members of APC are perfecting plans to thwart the senatorial ambition of the governor, who is regarded by members of his Kwankwasiyya movement as the oracle of Kano politics.
Although, when weigh up from all angles, Governor Kwankwaso’s political sagacity, status and clout dwarf that of Senator Lado, the supports being given to the sitting senator by the presidency and by the aggrieved APC members who fall out with the governor after the APC’s governorship primaries are roughing the governor’s way to the Senate.
The presidency is said to be all-out to scuttle Kwankwaso’s chance in continuation of the feud between the president and the governor. Like the other PDP governors who defected to APC following their disagreement with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Kwankwaso is believed to be in the president’s bad books.
Against this backdrop, the presidency is reportedly empowering key PDP members in the state to ensure that Lado defeat Kwankwaso in next month’s senatorial election in an effort to weaken the political clout of the governor whose second tenure ends on May 29th this year.
It was gathered that more attention is being given by the PDP machinery to the plot to scuttle the chance of Kwankwaso than any other position in the state.
"We know that it will be difficult for Jonathan to win Kano in this election. What happened in 2011 may repeat itself when he got less than 20 per cent of the total votes cast in the state. So we are channelling our efforts towards other positions, including Kano central senatorial district," a stalwart of PDP in the state said.
Of recent, Lado has embarked on house-to-house and market-to-market campaigns in the senatorial district where he buys food stuffs and disburses to people in the constituency. This has earned him the appellation ‘Lado mai kayan miya’ (literally, ‘Lado the food distributor’).
The challenge from within the APC too is equally formidable for Governor Kwankwaso. Already, some supporters of the deputy minority leader, Abdulrahaman Kawu Sumaila, who withdrew from the governorship race at the twilight of the APC’s primaries for the anointed candidate of the governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, are teaming up with the handlers of Lado to ensure the defeat of Kwankwaso in the February 14th senatorial election.
Piqued by the refusal of Governor Kwankwaso to support his ambition to become the running mate to Ganduje after withdrawing from the governorship race, Kawu said he would only work for Buhari’s victory in the state and was silent on others. Kwankwaso reportedly supported Professor Hafiz Abubakar, who was his Commissioner of Finance during his first tenure, 1999 to 2003, to pick the running mate slot.
According to Daily Trust, weeks after making his stance public, Kawu’s campaign vehicles were seen at the campaign office of Senator Lado, the PDP candidate. The vehicles were reportedly donated to Lado. The gesture brightens up Lado’s campaign.
Kawu is from Kano South senatorial district but his decision to support Lado is seen in some quarters as an attempt to fight back Kwankwaso whom he blames for his political misfortunes. He lost the governorship ticket, the running mate slot and his party’s ticket for Takai/Sumaila Federal Constituency, the seat he is currently occupying.
However, the actions of Kawu’s men are apparently not being taken seriously by Kwankwaso’s men, in view of their boss reported popularity in the state. The governor’s popularity is believed to be enhanced by the numerous developmental projects he carried out in the state, which cut across various spheres of life.
Kwankwaso’s performance in the area of infrastructural development has not only endeared him to the people of the state but across the country. Some say that might have contributed to his good outing at the APC national convention in Lagos last month: he came second in the presidential primary election, ahead of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
The scheduling of the National Assembly and the Presidential Election on the same day by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is seen as another advantage not only to Kwankwaso but to all candidates of the APC vying for seats at both red and green chambers. Many believe that the tidal wave of the APC presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari’s popularity could propel many candidates contesting on the same party with him to victory.
But Senator Lado’s team seems unperturbed by all these. Contacted on phone, Senator Lado’s media aide, Alhaji Shehu Kura, said the chances of his boss are bright, considering the support he is getting from all corners, including from APC members in the state.
"Actually what is happening, you know, Kawu was roughly humiliated by the governor and his people are now working for the victory of Lado. His people are now actively working with us to ensure the victory of Lado," he said.
But commenting on the chances of Kwankwaso, one of his media aides, Alhaji Jaafar Jaafar, said irrespective of 'the machinations', Kwankwaso will record landslide victory come February 14th.
"It is going to be a walkover, considering the popularity of Kwankwaso in the state," he said in a telephone interview.
"Nobody can beat or defeat Kwankwaso in Kano State. Our achievements are solid, not perishable. Kwankwaso has done a lot for the people of the state which the people of the state are appreciating. Thus, they will vote for him overwhelmingly."
With the intrigues surrounding the February 14th election, the fight for the Kano Central Senatorial District seat is one of the key contests that are generating interest in the state. While Governor Kwankwaso’s men describe the contest with Senator Lado as a walkover, Lado’s men say Kwankwaso’s joining of the race cannot halt their boss return to the Senate.
In the final analysis, though, only the electorate will decide the fortune of the duo.
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