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Ganduje Vs Shekarau: Kano returns Kano to primitive politics

Muhammad Kabir Kano Kano State known for its political sagacity and mature politics, use of tactics as instruments to winning elective offices, has seen various faces of thuggery, hooliganism and even vandalism which overtime seemed to have been taken care off.

However, recent happenings in the political circle in the state, coming from the All Progressives Congress (APC) are something that the common man sees as a desperate politicians’ move to once more plunge the state into chaos and uncertainty. It is on record that the state has witnessed two APC parallel congresses, coming from the Governor Abdulahi Ganduje and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau’s factions.

The Ganduje faction had elected Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas as the party’s consensus chairman for the second term along with 51 other state party executives. The party’s National Congress Committee leader, Barrister Auwalu Abdullahi and six other members announced after an exhaustive voting by 3,320 delegates that lasted for almost six hours that despite a consensus arrangements an open door election was allowed.

The election was held in a crowded Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium with hundreds of delegates coming from the 44 local government councils of the state to cast their votes though it was a consensus arrangement.

 

A seven-man Congress Committee under Barrister Auwal Abdullahi which oversaw the Governor Ganduje congress said that he was convinced beyond reasonable doubts that there were delegates from the State’s 44 local government areas who cast their votes.

 

He said they were on ground to allow a justifiable election which allows for open voting of whoever wished to elect as his next leader, although it was a consensus congress.

 

The Stadium was a carnival of sorts with hundreds of Ganduje’s supporters chanting his name. However, a parallel congress organised earlier on at the Sani Abacha Youth center Madobi Road by Shekarau, Barau Jibrin, and others was truncated by armed eecurity men who said they were under instructions not to allow anybody enter the place.

Although there was a handful of Shekarau’s supporters at the venue, they were all later tear-gased and chased away. Still, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, House of Representatives members like Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada Abdulkadir Jobe and others went to 15 KLM Janguza Gwarzo Road to conduct their congress.

 

The Shekarau congress saw Haruna Ahmadu Zago emerging as consensus chairman with supervised by Professor Muhammad Sani, the returning officer from the national headquarters of the party declaring Zago as chair.

 

Then came the formation of a National Appeal Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) hearing appeal of the October 16 States Congresses, which Shekarau and others described as a Kangaroo Committee which was allegedly sponsored by Ganduje, said that the congress conducted by Governor Ganduje, which produced Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas is the genuine, recognised elections.

 

The Chairman of the parallel state congress, Alhaji Haruna Danzago, described the appeal committee members as nothing but fake and hired thugs. The Malam Ibrahim Shekarau congress which had the senator representing Kano Central, Sen. Barau Jibril, Senator representing Kano South and four members of House of Representatives produced Danzago. Alhaji Danzago said: “Those sent as complaint committee or petition panel are nothing but a bunch of hired thugs who conducted the same Kangaroo wards, local government APC congress election in Kano.

 

The five-man appeal committee headed by Dr. Tony Macfoy, while speaking with pressmen disclosed that the “national body of the APC, Abuja, only mandated the committee to look into whatever crisis that might have occurred at the state congress held at Indoor stadium of Sani Abacha Stadium and nothing more “We have been here for the past three days to listen to complaints and petitions, but after the three days, neither petition nor complaint was received from any member of the party in relation to the State Congress held at Indoor Sports Complex of the Sani Abacha Stadium.

 

“Therefore, I now as the chairman of the committee, hereby declare that the State Congress held at the Indoor Complex of the Sani Abacha Stadium is authentic and in line w with the rules and regulation of the national body of the party “

 

However, in his while reaction, Alhaji Danzago said: “The APC national headquarter, is yet to recognise anybody, but will do so very soon on the day they will give out certificates to genuine elected APC leader ”

 

He added that he did not contest the election alone, as three other aspirants contested along with me, “unlike their own where only Alhaji Abbas contested and returned unopposed. No problem, when we reach the bridge Allah will show us the way to cross it.”

 

Still as the internal wrangling within the ruling APC continue to rage over the outcome of the congresses, the Wife of Kano State Governor, Hafsat Ganduje, warned that they will not tolerate activities of insignificant politicians, invariably referring to Mallam Shekarau’s faction, who may want to disrupt the state’s political undertakings.

 

Hafsat Ganduje, better known as “Goggo”, said in Tudunwada Local Government Area, while flagging off the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Dogu

 

wa, empowerment programme, that they will not allow some disgruntled elements to cause problems in the polity of the state.

 

Worried by the happenings in the party, a former Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abdurahman Kawu Sumaila, warned his ruling APC, to take a queue from what had happened in Anambra State and desist from imposing candidates on the party.

 

Kawu Sumaila who was also a Deputy Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, said the era of impositions of candidates on anybody was over with what had happened in Anambra State. The top APC member who contested for Kano South Senatorial District and lost to Kabiru Gaya in 2019 general elections, said on his verified Facebook account, that whether direct or indirect elections, what matters the most is free and fair elections.

 

“I’m not very concerned about direct primaries or indirect modes of electing our candidates, but let’s be sincere and ready to do justice to ourselves in APC. The era of imposition of candidates is gone. Anambra State is the best lesson for us.”

 

The Kano State Government has in totality rejected an Abuja High Court judgement nullifying the Governor Ganduje-led APC Congresses, insisting that it lacked jurisdiction.

 

However, in a sharp response, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, M. A Lawan, said the basis upon which the court relied to give its judgement cannot stand because the issues of jurisdiction are still valid. He said they are going to appeal the judgement because as at the time the Wards Congresses were conducted in Kano they were done only by the authentic leadership of APC-led by Abdullahi Abbas. He assured that they would certainly get judgement at the appeal.

 

The Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Hamza Muazu upheld the congresses conducted by the Senator Ibrahim Shekarauled faction of the party. The judge ruled that the Shekarau-led faction, tagged “G-7”, conducted election that was signed by the seven-man committee of the APC.

 

Applicants in the suit are Muntaka Bala Sulyman with 17, 980 members of the party while the defendants are All Progressive Congress, as first defendant, Mai- Mala Buni, Caretaker Chairman, Sen. John Ak-panudoedehe  National Secretary and Independent National Electoral Commission, as the fourth defendant.

 

The applicants were represented by Barr. Nuraini Jimoh, SAN and the defendants were represented by Barr. Sule Usman, SAN, M.N. Duru and Mashood Alabelewe. However, Lawan said it was not true to say that the Shekarau faction conducted Wards Congresses which was the basis of them having judgement.

 

“We are the only ones who conducted congress at the ward level on that day and the documents are there to show.”

 

Still as the internal wrangling continues, the Kano State gubernatorial Campaign Office of one the ark political opponent of Governor Ganduje, Senator Barau Jibrin, has been burnt to ashes, late last night by yet to be identified persons.

 

Reports has it that over 1000 hoodlums armed to teeth attacked the Senator Barau Jibrin Gubernatorial Campaign Office setting it ablaze and proceeded to Gyadi Gyadi quarters where the Ahmadu Zago factional APC chairman confirmed by the Abuja High Court set to open its State Party Secretariat.

Already, politics in Kano has gotten hotter shortly after the declaration of the Abuja High Court annulling the elections of the Governor’s APC congress under Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas. On Tuesday, men of the State Revenue office, under the command of the state, locked up the office of the lawyer of the House of Representatives member, Shaaban Ibrahim Sharada, Barrister Ibrahim Jimoh, SAN who secured victory against the State in the crises.

They accused the owners of the six-storey building housing Barrister Jimon’s chambers of not settling the N3 billion tenement rate. Senator Jibrin, who was far away in Abuja was said to have cried out that, “they have burnt down my campaign office.

 

What sort of politics is this, that a whole campaign office could be burnt down?” Some non-partisan residents of Kano are already panicking that the state would now be taken over by political hooliganism where lives and properties are no longer safe.

What would happen next is going to be critical to the political stability of Kano as the scene is fast becoming tensed with actors ready to create chaos that might consume everybody.

 

Political actors in Kano who do not believe in the two camps of Ganduje and Shekarau should be seen acting fast to stop the state from been burnt down by political marauders who put their interests above the peace of the state.

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