Uncertainty Over Kano Gov’s Fate As Kwankwaso Weighs APC, ADC Options

Emerging reports indicate that there are uncertainties over the fate of the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf as his mentor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso remains indecisive on where to pitch his tent.

Kwankwaso is said to be weighing his options on the uncompromising position of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), against wide concessions offered him by the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).

THE WHISTLER‘S investigation revealed that Governor Yusuf’s meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Monday, did not arrive at any definite conclusions.

Though details of the meeting were not made public, it was reliably gathered that the president did not make any commitments, but requested that the governor iron out some grey areas with Kwankwaso to enable them take a collective decision.

The position of the APC leadership, which the president is said to be in agreement with, is that Kwankwaso, rather than Governor Yusuf, is the party’s targeted ultimate prize.

There are indications that while the governor might be considering the terms spelt out by APC, his mentor has not shown any enthusiasm towards the terms.

It was gathered that one of the terms given by the ruling party is that there will be no automatic ticket for Governor Yusuf in 2027 in if he joins the party.

It was also reported that the APC leadership turned down the governor’s request to nominate persons for the Kano slots in state and federal appointments.

Kwankwaso had, at a public event in Kano last week, rued his past relationship with the APC, saying that all the agreements he reached with the ruling party in previous engagements were not honoured.

“I didn’t say I won’t join APC, but we must first be clearly assured of the future of the Kano State government before we join the APC. What will be the fate of our lawmakers and other supporters before we agree to defect?

“In the past, we joined and contributed to forming the government, but later we were abandoned. That was why we left the party. Have they now changed their position toward us? Everyone knows the role we played at that time,” he added.

“I will not go to the APC blindly. I must be clearly informed of my role, the direction of the journey, and the fate of our plans for the common people, including the position of our supporters and the Kano State Government. That is my stand,” the ex governor emphasised.

“Up till now, no one has given me a clear assurance that we will be allowed to retain our government and continue with our political structure. I need to know where I stand,” Kwankwaso had declared.

THE WHISTLER had reported last week, that the APC leaders had reserved further discussions and final decision on the conditions Kwankwaso’s set for his defection for President Tinubu, owing to what they described as the “stringent conditions” he gave.

Highly placed APC stakeholders in Kano however, said acceding to Kwankwaso’s conditions would undermine existing party structures and power blocs in the state.

The structures in one of the blocs is being controlled by the incumbent Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, while the former APC national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje leads another bloc.

And while Barau has not hidden his interest in the 2027 Kano governorship race, Ganduje is jealously guarding his preeminence position in the state’s APC chapter.

Obviously, the two Kano APC leaders fear losing their top standing to rivals or competitors and are likely to go to great lengths to prevent others from sharing in or taking over their influence in the party.

Kwankwaso’s Dilemma

Judging by President Tinubu’s body language, insiders say the interests of the APC and its Kano leaders remain paramount in any concessions the party may make to Kwankwaso.

Stakeholders say the party has ruled out the option of ceding its 2027 governorship ticket or yielding the leadership of the existing state structures to those they describe as “outsiders.”

“If there are going to be negotiations regarding power sharing with Kwankwaso or any other person willing to join the APC in Kano, such negotiations must prioritise the interests of our local leaders and existing structures.

“Nobody can impose anybody on us. Even President Tinubu himself is aware of the dire implications of imposing anybody on our leaders and their structures in the Kano APC. The president jolly well knows that Kano politics is not like the politics of any other state,” a Kano APC stalwart told THE WHISTLER on Tuesday.

On the other, the ADC has thrown its door wide open for the former Kano governor. A credible source in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), confirmed to THE WHISTLER that the platform is willing to offer Kwankwaso the leadership of its budding structure in Kano, in addition to key roles at the national level.

Part of the parrots is to give Kwankwaso a free hand in the choice of the party’s 2027 governorship candidate and persons to be considered for federal appointments under an ADC administration.

The party official, who craved anonymity because he was not mandate to comment on the party, however said the ADC will not offer Kwankwaso its presidential or vice presidential ticket.

The source said Kwankwaso, like any other person interested in the party’s ticket, would have to submit themselves for the nomination processes, including primaries.

“The ADC has put in on record that there will be no automatic ticket for any presidential aspirant. The party leadership has stated it clearly that whoever wants the ticket must contest for it,” the official said.

However, Kwankwaso’s dilemma stems from the obvious unequal power balance that may play out between the APC and the ADC in the 2027 state elections in Kano.

Analysts opine that while the APC could leverage the proverbial “federal might” during the election, the ADC will be fighting from a disadvantaged position.

“Kwankwaso and Governor Yusuf are very much aware of the risks involved. Recall that both the election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal voided Governor Yusuf’s victory in the 2023 governorship election.

“It took the wisdom and the magnanimity of the Supreme Court to restore his mandate. The governor’s case was also helped by then President Buhari’s aloofness and his detachment from election litigations involving the APC outside his own election.

“Now there is a new Sheriff in town, as they say, who is not detached and who takes more than a passive interest in state elections and the court cases arising therefrom. The long and short of it, is that President Tinubu, unlike Buhari, may not choose to sit on the fence in 2027.

“I am sure Kwankwaso and the Kano governor are fully aware of the challenges ahead of them in 2027 if they make the wrong choices. So they either choose to play small in the APC with less hazards, or play big in the ADC in an atmosphere of uncertainty. That is the dilemma they are both facing,” said an Abuja based political analyst.

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in which Kwankwaso and Yusuf are key players, is currently enmeshed in seemingly intractable leadership crisis that is threatening the party’s viability for the 2027 electoral contests.