Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso will bow out of office next year. KOLADE ADEYEMI examines the succession battle in the Northwest state, the governorship aspirants and their chances.
Kano State is the most populous and sophisticated state in the Northern Region. This explains why the next governorship election will be a tough battle. The succession struggle has polarised the state. Gladiators are gathering civilian armies.
Next year, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso will bow out of office after completing his two terms of eight years. He will leave behind worthy legacies. How to defend these legacies is his major priority. Thus, according to analysts, the governor will not be indifferent to the tendency of his successor. Kwankwaso, who is expected to anoint a successor, is working assiduously to retain Kano State for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). A source also said that the governor is eyeing the presidential ticket of the party.
A source close to the Government House said that the governor has set up a committee to screen the APC governorship aspirants, with a view to selecting a consensus candidate that would be acceptable to the stakeholders.
The source said: “Governor Kwankwaso, who is a democrat, does not want to take the decision alone. He does not want his influence to really count. We are not unaware of the fact that, already, some people have started spreading the rumour that there is a grand-plan to install a Kwankwasiyya die-hard member as Kwankwaso’s successor. This is not true because all the political blocs within the APC are being carried along and they are well represented in the committee.
“However, I must assure you that whoever that will finally make the list must be someone who has the qualities to carry on with the good work Kwankwaso has started. It must be somebody who is loyal to the cause of the people’s governor because it will be a great injustice to allow sentiment to overrule our sense of reasoning. In a very short while, you will see what will happen and whoever will emerge as the governorship candidate of the APC will surely be acceptable to all.”
However, the committee has a Herculean task to perform. The aspirants are formidable. The are also competent to succeed the governor. How to select the candidate is challenhing. In the race are two key leaders of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and their supporters are growing in leaps and bounds. The campaign posters of Senator Kabiru Gaya, the Third Republic governor of the state, and Hon. Abdulralman Kawu Sumaila, the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of representatives, adorn the streets of Kano. The two politicians refused to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.
Gaya, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration, told reporters in Kano, the state capital, that his ambition was informed by personal conviction and willingness to contribute his quota towards development. He described himself as a trusted and tested leader. He lamented that his administration was cut short by the military incursion into politics in the Third Republic. Describing himself as an experienced politician and administrator, Gaya added: “I have done it before as a young man of 38 years, who became the first civilian governor of modern Kano, and I will do it again. I remember I attended a function with the late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi and he introduced himself as the first civilian governor of Kano. When I took over the microphone. I introduced myself as the first civilian governor of modern Kano and people were confused.
“But, I explained that while Rimi was the first civilian governor of the old Kano, including present day Jigawa, I was the first civilian governor of the present Kano when Jigawa had been carved out.”
Kawu also has a tale of political achievement to tell. He said that he has worked for the state as its representative in the National Assembly. To him, the next governorship poll is not a do-or-die affair.
The federal legislator has inaugurating a 19-member ad-hoc Local Government Coordinating Committee across the 44 Local Government Areas to coordinate his campaigns. “Our journey started about a year ago and, from all indications, we are making steady progress and there is no going back. We are determined to accomplish our mission to salvage Kano from the clutches of the PDP misrule. We have informed our stakeholders and elders of the party of our intention to contest the governorship. From the body language of the people, we have been accepted. What I saw from the mammoth crowd that witnessed the inauguration was a clear testimony that a political revolution is about to take place in Kano for a change.Those insinuating that Hon. Kawu Sumuila has no interest to contest the governorship race in Kano are jokers,” he said.
A source however, said that Senator Gaya and Hon. Kawu Sumaila may be flying a kite in a bid to retain their seats at the National Assembly.
Another formidable aspirant itching to succeed Kwakwanso is Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, a former Commissioner for Finance during Kwankwaso’s first term and the Chairman, Implementation Committee of the Northwest University. He is very close to the governor. He was said to have rejected an offer given to him by Kwankwaso to serve as a Special Adviser. A source said that the scholar had hoped to be appointed as the Secretary to Government.
The Secretary to the Government, Suleiman Bichi, an enginer, is also in the race. He is a loyalist and a grassroots actor. Bichi is perceived as a member of the governor’s think-tank. When Kwankwaso was defeated by Malam Shekrau in 2003, Bichi invested his time and resources campaigning for the second coming of Kwankwaso. As the SSG, he wields enormous powers. Bichi also has experience. He is a former Commissioner for Land and Physical Planning and Managing-Director of Urban Development Bank.
Another aspirant is Abdullahi Ganduje, an engineer and the deputy governor. He is a loyal and dependable ally of the governor. But, there are rumours that both leaders are now in a silent political war. In 1999, Ganduje stepped down for his boss at the primaries. After the primaries, he was selected as the running mate. In power, the deputy governor did not undermine his boss. In appreciation of his loyalty, Kwakwanso picked him again as his running mate in 2011. In addition, he retained his portfolio as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Alhaji Ahmed Garba Bichi, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in 2007 and a former Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, is another contender. He is an associate of the governor. In 2007, Kwakwanso had fielded him for the governorship against Shekarau. That followed Kwaka-wanso’s disqualification from the race. Bichi is a top APC leader in Kano State.
Another aspirant is Alhaji Abba Kabiru Yusuf, the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport. He is Kwankwaso’s in-law. Apart from that, Kabiru, who was the governor’s Personal Assistant for many years, is very influential in the government. He is the only commissioner allowed to award contract above N50 million. in Kwan-kwaso’s government. Based on the privileges he enjoy, he is a subject of envy.
Another contender, Alhaji Ibrahim El-Amin, popularly known as Little, has been endorsed by powerful bloc in the ruling party. The argument of leaders backing his bid is that he deserves to be compensated for his past political misfortunes. In 2003, he lost the ticket to Shekarau. in the defunct ANPP. A source said that Little’s popularity in the APC may put the aspirations of Gaya and Kawu at risk.
The former deputy governor, Abdullahi Gwarzo, is also eyeing the seat. He is the former Interim Chairman of the APC. He was also the Chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He is a popular politician.
In Kano, the ambition of the son of the maximum military ruler, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Mohammed, is the talk of the town. He is a rich politician. Recently, Mohammed got a clean bill from the court over allegations of money laundering. Sources said that he is mobilising for his ambition to rule. His campaign office along Audu Bako Way is now wearing a new look. The building has been refurbished. His political structure is visible in Kano and environs. Mohammed is the toast of the masses in Kano. He is loved by the youths.
The belief is that Mohammed is not a baby politician. In 2011, he narrowly lost the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governorship ticket.
Shekarau’s political son, Alhaji Salihu Sagir Takai, may also unfold his ambition soon. He is the former Commissioner for Water Resources and Local Government Affairs. Takai was also a three-time Chairman of Takai Local Government Area. He contested the governorship election in 2011on the platform of the ANPP. But, he was defeated by Kwankwaso.
Before the end of this quarter, more aspirants may still join the race. Analysts have predicted a tough battle. The priority of the APC is to retain the state. But, the PDP is also working hard. Events in the APC may shape the events in the PDP as the race gets tougher.
Kwankwaso, it is believed, is interested in handing over to a loyal successor. But, the question is: will his political opponents fold their hands and watch him actualise his dream of becoming another Aminu Kano in the ancient commercial city? Time will tell.
