‘I Could Have Slapped Kwankwaso’- Ganduje Reacts To Kano Demolitions

The immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday indicated that his political war with Rabiu Kwankwaso was responsible for the demolition exercise embarked upon by his successor, Governor Abba Yusuf, who’s a protege of Kwankwaso.

Ganduje told state house reporters while reacting to the presence of Kwankwaso at the presidential villa that he could have slapped him if he had met him during his visit to the president.

Kwankwaso had followed up his visit to the president in France last month with a visit on Friday to the presidential villa after Ganduje had criticised the political romance between the pair.

Kwankwaso who was the Minister of defence during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo worked for many years with Ganduje and handed over to his deputy as governor.

Both fell out as soon as Ganduje took over the reign of power in Kano State.

It forced Kwankwaso to defect from the All Progressives Congress, APC, back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He tried unsuccessfully to emerge the PDP’s presidential candidate and again defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, where he emerged the presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

He mobilised his supporters on that platform to oust Ganduje’s APC from the state during the March governorship election.

There have been wars of words between the pair with Ganduje recently condemning attention being given to Kwankwaso by Tinubu in a widely circulated tape.

While he acknowledged that he did not see Kwankwaso on Friday during his visit, he said he knew he was in the building while speaking to state house reporters.

“I know he (Kwankwaso) is in the building but we have not met. Probably if we met, maybe I could have slapped him,” he said.

The former governor said the demolition which the new government in Kano is embarking on hampers development and it’s being championed by Kwankwaso not the governor, whom he said is “unhappy.”

He said some NNPP members have also been affected by the exercise which he said began less than 72 hours after Abba Yusuf assumed office as Governor of the state.