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How Kwankwaso Upstages Opponents in Kano Politics

Started by Anonymous, December 23, 2002, 06:00:35 PM

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Anonymous

It is quite clear to any observer of Kano politics that Rabi?u Musa Kwankwaso, Kano state?s PDP Governor was bound for a second term and it is likely he will break the jinx that no Kano ruler goes for two tenures.  Emir Sanusi of blessed memory and former Governor Rimi could not break this Jinx, though is not a Divine injunction or is decreed by Allah try though they did, well that is all history.

Rabi?u Kwankwaso, the water engineer who has surfaced as a deft (some would claim, LUCKY) politician on Kano?s political scene makes no bones about his plan to beat Sarki Sanusi and Rimi in the contest for a second term in Kano?s main seat of power. Kwankwaso has in fact told a Voice of America Hausa service reporter of this plan, nay ambition, of this.  Of course observers of Kano politics would wonder how he could do that, they forget with over N40 billion his government had received since it came into office three and a half years ago.  The man has performed above average in terms of rural transformation, roads and a lot of laudable programs.  If just as a sample, out of 44 Local governments, I may say as an eye witness I have seen over ten villages in my maternal local government of Warawa with electricity, a bridge linking historical village of Gogel with Alitini, a senior secondary school under construction and a borehole.

So what makes the wait for the Kwankwaso wonder exciting is Kwankwaso?s record at elections.  He had never lost any election he?d gone into, no matter the permutations. Beginning from his foray into politics at Kaduna Polytechnic, to the time he gunned for assistant secretary of the Kano State Students Association (KSK), when he was not even on the roll of winning team that had been arranged by the tag team of the biggest institutions in terms of size: BUK, Kano State Polytechnic and ATC Gumel.  He defeated Sani Zorro, and then of AYC Gumel for the post of assistant secretary by a weird turns of fate.  Or even as some Kwankwaso chroniclers might one-day claim, the man may well have a deft political calculus and machinations.  Anyway be that as it may, that was how Kwankwaso served the KSA alongside Kano School of Technology?s Aminu Dabo as Secretary, and BUK?s Shehu Dauda, then elected President etc in 1980/81, when they all served the PDP Government of Rimi as students, even having a representation on the State Scholarship Board, a and doing a number of odd jobs for the PRP Santsi Government of the day.  In fact you could well say they all cut their political milk teeth then.


As a good, some would yet again argue, lucky, student of politicking, not necessarily of power, Rabi?u Kwankwaso then graduated to fulltime politicking and insinuated his way to the IBB Government?s SDP where he became a member of the Federal House or Representatives ending up as Deputy Speaker through some luck, or if you like deft political maneuvers.  He became number two at the Federal House without any opposition (in fact with total support) from both of the two main political tendencies in SDP, whose roots were in Kano, the Santsi (Rimi PSP Group) and the Tabo (Aminu Kano/YarAdua PDM Group.

During the Abacha days, Rabi?u Kwankwaso again surfaced at the Constitutional Conference as an elected delegate from his Kwankwaso/Madobi constituency.  After that he gravitated to the DPN where he contested for Governor of Kano alongside a number of other aspirants, most of whom are now his associates in PDP, either as his commissioners or other appointees.

And in PDP after the Abacha day Kwankwaso again went for the post of Governor, where he wasn?t given much of a chance against such politically well connected and well-financed aspirants as one-time SSG, Abba Dabo, former military Government?s Works Commissioner Abdullahi Umar Gabduje, or even former national secretary of the NRC, and experienced NPN politician, Usman Alhaji.  Other aspirants he had the good luck of beating include another former Commissioner and veteran politician Kabiru Rabi?u and a bevy of other jokers.  Despite the reputed might of the Rimi Santsi Group and the fact that Kwankwanso was not even the only aspirant in his own PDM/Tabo Group he was able to finally upstage then all, and somehow emerge the PDP candidate.  And he won.  This, despite predictions that he would be trounced at the pools by the might Engineer Magaji Abduallahi, Kwankwaso?s fellow water engineer and former boss at WRECA, who was then quite popular and a well-known veteran of Gubernatorial and other elections.  Yet again despite the fact that Rimi had deserted his campaign and gone to Jigawa to Campaign for his then ?bona fide? political son, Sule Lamido.  Also despite the perceived liability that Ganduje was seen to be, as he was fresh from the outgoing military government?s cabinet as a powerful works commissioner, and as his Santsi base was hopeless shaky, seeing that he was seen as an interloper hijacking the Santsi machine to do his bidding allegedly because of the wads of Naira that he had come to the Santsi oracle with.

Yes, despite all odds kwankwaso won.  Of course there would be tales later of the story that all the three main tendencies n Kano politics were united behind PDP etc etc, But then that is neither here nor there.  The issue is the man simply won, as had always been his wont.


Whether it is luck, or prayer, black or white magic or whatever, or rather deft political calculations and maneuvers on Kwankwaso?s part cannot yet be definitely defined.  What however can clearly be seen is that Kwankwaso has since coming to office generated so much bad blood between him ad so called political gladiators of Kano by refusing to do their bidding.

But the facts on ground now show that the man is not after all as daft as he is made out to be.  Of course he is fighting Rimi, but how much did Rimi contribute to his being Governor in 1999? Yes, is he fighting the political upstart, Ghali Na/abba, well where was Ghali when he won in 1999? Indeed he is also seen to be fighting Zubairu Dambatta, the former political boss in PDM in Kano, who was reputed to have invited all the military generals who have made PDM the force it is in PDP, namely the late YarAdua, and latterly Obasanjo, who in fact made use of Zubairu?s Sahel office on Abdu Bako Way to collect Kano?s votes at the last elections. But then what clout, in all honesty does Zubairu have today, if he couldn?t help himself in 1990 to become senator against Kwankwaso?s anointed, Bello? Hayatu? Did he not also fail to retain his seat against Kwankwaso?s onslaught at his fortress at the Nigeria Ports, where Kwankwaso sent in his ally and close friend, Aminu Dabo to get the top job that had eluded Zubairu, who could only get appointed as Executive Director, despite all he did for Obasanjo and Atiku? What clout does Zubairu have now in Dambatta? Can he or Abba Dabo dare stand up to Aminu Dabo another Dambatta son who is Kwankwaso?s white haired boy on the Dambatta block? Anyway, not even Zubairu?s nominal boss, the PDM minister Musa Gwadabe can turn any trick against Kwankwaso or can he? Did he really have any hand in the making of Kwankwaso in 1999? No! It was the young Turks of the santsi and PDM and NPN group who rallied round their man and aided him to victory despite all odds.

Now, who else is arrayed against Kwankwaso? The group of religious activist, may be, who feel he?s failed the Shari? a test. And who is their point man; where is he? What are his antecedents? What are his chances? Is it not Ibrahim Shekarau? Was he not the same man who was right there in PDP, as a Santsi man waiting in the wings to be made SSG while Kwankwaso? was busy wining his election? It is said that he was upstaged for the job by a fellow education Ado Gwaram who tactically edged him out of government in keeping and perfect alignment with a longstanding feud at the Kano education ministry, which is as sharply fictionalized as the agriculture ministry and the WRECA and Water Board in Kano. The Shekarau of a man cannot be much of a threat after all he has been run out of PDP by Kwankwaso. And his arguments of a religious base been largely punctured by the realization or rather perception of his alignment with a not so popular sect in Kano. This is not to consider the structural weakness of his party following his Partisans realization of his opportunism. All political activists in various strata of the ANPP know that Shekarau is only with them now that it seems with the Buhari appeal that ANPP is the party of the moment. They know only too well that he can easily dump them as he?d dumped his previous parties. It is an open secret that he has a short-lived romance with IBB?s UNPP after his realization of hopelessness in Santsi PDP whom he ditched unceremoniously when he felt the Santsi machine in PDP can no longer influence matter for him, as it had failed to even secure a mere SSG?s seat for him. What is more his own, APP?s activists are not comfortable with his opportunistic streak and oftentimes holier-than -thou attitude.  That rarely wins election.

So who else is there for Kwankwaso to beat but himself, in his party? After all there are no opposition parties to talk of.  And anybody of any note who comes up can well and truly be tackled or compromised, like Engineer Magaji Abdullahi has been in the fiasco over nomination of a minister from among APP supporters, or Sa?idu Adhama of UPP who is only feared because of the unclear hand of IBB in UNPP.  Adhama now has a Judicial Commission to keep at bay snooping at his past at the Abubakar Rimi Sabon Gari Market.

The only aspirants who say they want a shot at Kwankwaso?s job who can be of any impact either appear to have little or no resources to slug it out effectively.  Or else they have of the category of those who have little credibility, including those who have extended their sibling rivalry, like Dr. Madaki of PDP and Nasiru Muktar ofUNPP to the arena of politics and the quest for Kano?s number one job.  Of course some political dark horse may yet again emerge as Governor, as is the tradition in Kano.  But what is obvious now is that Kwankwaso doesn?t have much worry about, especially as he?s successfully harassed all the groups in PDP into desperation.  Even Rimi was recently on record as resorting to the last haven of those who have lost at the level of debate, which is violence.  Rimi has threatened that there will be violence in Kano PDP if primaries are not held as scheduled.  And Kwankwaso refuse to budge he insists on consensus at all levels of the PDP.

No the desperation of the opposition from within the PDP has led them right into another deft led Kwankwaso trap or so it seems.  Out of desperation the main factions, all three of them have now being maneuvered into propping up a close teach Kwankwaso a lesson.  But who really will end up being taught a lesson do you think considering the Kwankwaso magic and track record in elections? Seem impossible to envisage a scenario of the type that I have just thought up? That Kwankwaso himself have had a hand in coaxing the Rimis, the Gwadabes, the Zubairu Dambattas and the Ghalis, through pulling well hidden strings to decide on this boy, his own Accountant-General?

The tale that is circulating portrays that there is a lot of confusion in the Kwankwaso camp.  That Rimi and co had called in Deputy Governor Umar Ganduje and offered to support him for the Governor?s slot, and that he (expectedly) declined because of his level of maturity, rather insisting on reconciliation between his present boss and his former political boss.  The young man who was subsequently invited after Ganduje and made the offer just jumped at it like a hungry dog after a juicy bone, knowing what he knows as head of Kano?s treasury, is there any wonder that he jumped?

Pity, yes pity that is what a political observer will say, Danhassan is a political upstart, he should have consulted veteran politicians like Engr. Magaji how those clourmouring for him did the same to him, cheat him, duped him, and dumped him to his fate.

The bitter truth is that they thought the chap was loaded with Naira, what they can not get from Kwankwaso through contracts and political blackmail, they now get it through his boy and former ally.

With recent happenings in PDP primaries, my humble and candid advice to Rimi and his group is to either reconcile with main stream of PDP and swallow their pride as gallant losers, or in the alternative leave PDP and looks some where else, luckily for them PRP is now a recognized political party, let them join Balarabe Musa their political soul mate there.

Blaqueen

da Hunniez Gettin Money Playin Niggaz Like Dummy

Guest

Whao all right. I just came across this post. Imagine wasting all this time in what may have appeared to be an insiders analytical assesment of the political terrain , and look what happened. Allah ke nan!
Kwankwasos biggest problem was guys like this who gave him the impression that it was all over b4 it even started. It was this sort of ego tripping that reportedly made him say that "shekaraun band Allh wa ya ke da shi a Kano?"

Talk about eating your words.

Shiekh

Quote from: "Guest"Whao all right. I just came across this post. Imagine wasting all this time in what may have appeared to be an insiders analytical assesment of the political terrain , and look what happened. Allah ke nan!
Kwankwasos biggest problem was guys like this who gave him the impression that it was all over b4 it even started. It was this sort of ego tripping that reportedly made him say that "shekaraun band Allh wa ya ke da shi a Kano?"


ok, Allan da ya dogara dashi gashinana bai bashi unya ba, ko?
it is a lesson to all.

SAAHIB 92

assalam

what a marvellous postin!!! i appericiate your knowledge in kano politics and the erudition of  your understandin while postin this topic.

beutiful...now we are lookin for a capable hands like you whose had a knowlede and  vast expreince of kano politics. bcos the time was high to puts head together and solve the DANBIRNI AND DANKAUYE dilemma in kano politics. onceagain xnaks so much 4 the postin.
Radina billahi Rabban,
Wa bil Islami Dinan,
Wa bi Muhammadin Nabiyya!"

 ABBAS A YAKASAI