SPECIAL REPORT: Finally, Tinubu’s game plan for Kano unfolding as Ganduje invites ‘victorious Gov Abba Yusuf to join APC’

*You can succeed without Federal Might, Kwankwaso, Yusuf told

By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Kano

“Now, instead for them to be living with their self inflicted disappointment and disgrace for failing in plots against the governor, they are showing too early that they cannot even survive without Abba and the leader of his party, Kwankwaso as they want reconciliation at all cost. To achieve what?”

When recently The DEFENDER reported what it called the long wait for Supreme Court judgment on Kano State governorship election appeal, it was reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu allegedly met Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to give him condition to be allowed to continue in office as governor – to decamp later from New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Although statements from the All Progressives Congress (APC), refuted those revelations as rumour that was mere figment of the imagination of authors behind such “unfounded” allegation, patronage the APC leaders in Abuja have done to the Kano governor and soft words being displayed towards his party leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, since the apex court victory are said to begin generating discomfort in several circles of supporters in both APC and NNPP..

It will be recalled that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was in Kano to commission a major project of redesigned Government House built by the governor just as Supreme Court finally gave a date for its long dragged judgment on the governorship election appeal.

President Tinubu had also, after the apex court ruling, gave glowing tribute as he celebrated the Governor Yusuf on his birthday, followed by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, using Kano as venue for a major town hall meeting on his ministry’s digital economy programme.

“All of these accolades to the same Abba who was meant political disgrace through the use of courts but whose plotted disgrace Allah did not allow.

“Now, instead for them to be living with their self inflicted disappointment and disgrace for failing in plots against the governor, they are showing too early that they cannot even survive without Abba and the leader of his party, Kwankwaso, as they want reconciliation at all cost. To achieve what?

“Let Tinubu, Ganduje, Gusau and Uzodinma hold their Federal Might and Kwankwaso and Abba will hold their Kano. They (Kano ruling class) can survive without their Federal Might. Just imagine that they succeeded in their plots as we saw them do from the tribunal to Appeal Court, would they see Kwankwaso and Abba as worthy of any relevance today? We want Kwankwaso party and Abba not Tinubu or Ganduje. And so, let the leader and Abba watch their meetings with those APC leaders. Enough of playing politics with everything. Settle down and fulfill the purpose of the mandate we gave you. Tinubu and Ganduje should wait till 2027 to se us again,” one of the respondents said.

While it is patriotic to live above party politics after election and for political players to join hands in the business of nstion building, those who are complaining say there should be no pretending not to know the implications of insincerity in politics, as displayed against Abba Yusuf and Rabiu Kwankwaso from March, 2023 election and January 2024 Supreme Court judgment.

They are of the opinion that Kwankwaso and Yusuf will lay bad precedence if, upon all the political evils perpetrated by against them, they turn round to tell Nigerians, who supported and stood by them against their persecutors during the trying period, that the persecutors’ political party is now the way to go.

“Let me tell you, we stood up for Abba Kabir Yusuf because we saw that he was being cheated by people who believe that they have all the powers to manipulate every institution of state including the courts. What is patriotism in the new turning round to be playing soft in ways that suggest they are included towards them?

“Already we have seen in seven months Abba Gida-Gida perform even better than the president did as Lagos State governor in eight years, I stand to be corrected. We can see Yusuf’s performance in terms of education. We have seen him in the infrastructure and health. We believe that he can stand the test of time without their Federal Might. After all, the same Tinubu once believed he could stand the test of time without the Federal Might as governor of Lagos State.

“Why then is all the soft words coming to Kwankwaso, who cannot even outrightly rule out any connection with a Tinubu who did not show pity for him while his political structure was being threatened and placed for dismantle through the courts at the time? Are you trying to vindicate Nigerians’ loss of trust in politicians when they say ‘policians are always birds of the same feather by accepting a reconciliation that has nothing in connection with any sincerity of purpose in the national interest and for the good of the people?

“We knew from the beginning that Tinubu wanted to take Kano through the court because of 2027 politics and innocent Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf was being the sacrificial lamb until Allah gave him victory against their planned humiliation. Now after losing out, the president and Ganduje are looking for how, through Kwankwaso, they can bring Abba into the APC so they are not lost out completely. They should good with their defeat.

“What is in this simple logic that is complicated for Kwankwaso and Abba to understand? Nothing good will come out of any such reconciliation with Tinubu and Ganduje except for them to hide beind the truce and launch the destructive political granades against them. They should watch it. Their opponents in the ruling parties are chameleon that cannot and must be trusted,” he said.

Just as the supporters were ventilating their disapproval of any reconciliation with APC, the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday in a Kano APC stakeholders meeting, appealed to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to dump the state’s ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and join the Abuja party that is opposition in the state, thus revealing the intention of the president, who kick-started a reconciliation move between Ganduje and Kwankwaso before traveling to France.

The APC National Chairman Ganduje, who is a former governor of the state, said Governor Yusuf’s joining of the APC will make Kano a ‘one-party state’.

Dr Ganduje noted that the APC is in Kano to woo other ‘smaller parties’ into the party for the development of the state.

The APC National Chairman assured that the party would provide enabling environment for Mr Yusuf and his supporters to enjoy peace and harmony.

“Very soon some governors will join our party. So, if we can do this at national level, why can’t we do it at state level?

“Our hands are wide open. We are appealing to those who like to join our party. In particular, we are inviting the governor of Kano state to dump his party, NNPP, and join APC.

“We are calling him. We promise to create enabling environment for the governor of Kano State so that we make a solid, a very big followership.

“This is a reflection of our population since we are the most populous state in the federation,” Mr Ganduje said.

The meeting held in the presence of the Minister for State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo, the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, Member of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, Deputy Governorship Candidate of the APC, Murtala Garo among other key stakeholders of the party in the state.