S’COURT VERDICT: I reached no agreement with Tinubu, judgment lesson for all – Kwankwaso

*Says everybody will reap what he sows

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

“And anybody would reap what he sows. To the best of my knowledge, I did not reach any agreement with anybody. All I know is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is my contemporary,” Kwankwaso said.

‘Warlord’ of new talakawas political ideology and Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has described the what happened with the 10-month legal battle for actualisation of mandate of his party’s candidate, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf as Governor of Kano State, as a lesson for all to learn.

The former Senator is believed to have effectively restored the Aminu Kano political hegemony in which powers truly belong to the people, while leaders are only required to do what is right.

Kwankwaso, a former Governor of Kano State, however, revealed that he did not enter into any agreement with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or any other person to secure the Supreme Court verdict, which reinstated the mandate.

This was as Governor Yusuf, on Saturday, extended a hand of fellowship to his opponent and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, asking him to join his administration to build a prosperous state.

Responding to questions on whether or not he reached an agreement with President Tinubu before the judgment, during an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, Senator Kwankwaso said everyone has one lesson or the other to learn from the judgment.

The former Nigeria’s National Assembly member said the NNPP would not hesitate to support and offer advice where necessary to the APC-led Federal Government.

He said, “What happened at the Supreme Court is a lesson for all of us. I know that I mean well for everyone. Throughout the period, I wish I did not do anything to anyone. And anybody would reap what he sows. To the best of my knowledge, I did not reach any agreement with anybody.

“All I know is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is my contemporary. I joined politics at the same time as him in SDP. Then he was a senator and I was serving as the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1999, he was my colleague as the governor of Lagos State.

“We founded the APC together and we participated fully in the struggles which followed up. People should know that a lie has a short life. Despite the machinations those people staged, the judges have done what is right.”

He stated that NNPP takes pride in its victory over challenges that bedeviled its Kano State branch, saying, “The party will rather work with APC where necessary. On the issue of joining the government only time can tell.”

He added,  “Kabir Yusuf is the governor. We can only advise. Even if he were a biological son, I can’t rule over him. I have given him pieces of advice even before the government came in. There are thousands of people like me. I can’t do it alone. When a governor or a president does well, the credit goes to him. If he does otherwise, the blame is directed at him.”

“People misunderstand this. When I was a governor, I would pick suggestions kept by people even in dustbins. The same is on radio stations and newspapers. For everything has an appointed time. Those who succeed should be allowed to prove their worth.

“There were errors with the previous judgment, but the Supreme Court undid what the lower courts did. If it were in other climes, those who delivered the judgments in the lower courts would quit their jobs.”

In a statement by the Director, Public Enlightenment, Government House, Aliyu Yusuf, Governor Yusuf said: “As a true democrat and progressive, I call on my opponent and his supporters to join hands with me in the crusade of developing our dear state Kano for the betterment of its teaming citizens.

“People of Kano need leaders with vision, passion, zeal and commitment of initiating projects, policies and programmes that have direct bearing to their lives in all facets and across  nooks and crannies of the state.”

The governor said the Kano State government and the people of the state noted with satisfaction the decision of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima not to meddle with the responsibility of the Supreme Court despite stiff pressure from disgruntled quarters.

Meanwhile, the APC candidate, Gawuna, said he has accepted the verdict of the Supreme Court as the will of God. He said God has never and would not make mistakes.

Gawuna urged his supporters to remain calm and join him in the acceptance of the outcome of the verdict.   He stressed that he would rather wish the NNPP government well in the management of the affairs of the state.

“This judgment is God’s decision, and we accept it. As we prayed, we asked that if it was good for us, He grant us from His bounty, and if not, He replace it with something better. We are confident that God has answered our prayers. He is All-Wise. We are grateful to Allah, the Almighty.

“Our supporters must understand that Allah, the Almighty, is the Designer of everything and has predestined this to occur. Everyone should remain calm and accept God’s decision. This is what all leaders should do after exhausting the court process. Even before the lawsuit, I wished him well,” Gawuna noted.