Suspension from a party he founded –Kwankwaso’s travails, by Galadima
Former governor of Kano State and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 general polls, Alhaji Musa Rabi’u Kwankwaso, was, last Tuesday, suspended for six months over alleged anti-party activities after a parallel National Executive Committee, NEC, in Lagos headed by a former Board of Trustees, BoT, Chairman, Boniface Aniebonan, consulted.
With the NNPP divided, the Aniebonan-led faction appointed a former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Major Agbo, as the acting National Chairman, although one of the party’s founding fathers, Alhaji Buba Galadima, described the temporary suspension as hogwash, saying the former governor and the NNPP’s current travails are machinations of “those who fear Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso’s profile,” adding that the happenings came out of the blue because “if he (Kwankwaso) survives politically, they are in trouble in 2027.”
Are things falling apart in the NNPP?
No. We are very much intact. What I saw on social media was like Nollywood or Hollywood jokes and now, you are confirming that social media event. Let me make a small correction, those that were expelled were Dr Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam and Major Agbo. Let me first say that we thank the founding fathers of this party, who had the vision to form the NNPP some 21 years ago. However, the party remained in comatose until we came in last year to resuscitate it, give it life, chronic injection and it became what it is today. You have seen that a lot of people in this country are interested in the party such that the other parties feel they can only survive if they destroy this party. Unknown to them, we are solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.
Who are the people who want to destroy the party?
Those who fear Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso’s profile. There are a lot of things going under the carpet. After our research of these elections (you know we didn’t go to court), we discovered that in the North-West alone, Kwankwaso scored about 3.963 votes that have not been accounted for. When we went to court in Bauchi, all the two major parties connived to ensure that they rigged us out in court.
One of them accused the other of having helped himself in about six or seven local governments and a recount was made. In that recount, it was discovered that the NNPP had more than 160,000 extra votes that had not been accounted for from the 90 that they gave us. In Nasarawa, our candidate went to court and was given 11,000 votes. We discovered that he scored 117,000 votes, but they cancelled seven and left 11. You can also see that there are a lot of issues in Kano. It is a subject that we will address on its own when it resurfaces because some people feel that oxygen must be removed from Kwankwaso’s nose. If he survives politically, they are in trouble in 2027.
Is Kwankwaso facing opposition from former Governor Ganduje of Kano State?
Mr President will know that he has taken a scorpion (Ganduje) and put it in his pocket. If he can sting his benefactor (Kwankwaso) that next to God made him what he is, there is no way that he will not do the same to Tinubu. Tinubu should know that even as at today, he (Ganduje) is being isolated from those under him because they take decisions and ram it down his throat without him knowing. I am saying this so that he takes note before they throw him under the bus.
We’ve seen Kwankwaso in pictures with President Bola Tinubu and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general polls, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Is this enough evidence to accuse him of involvement in anti-party activities?
After the election, the President had tried to see Kwankwaso on several occasions but it didn’t happen. Nonetheless, they agreed to meet in France. As a result, Kwankwaso had to bring the national caucus of the party together, and told them, ‘look, the President wants to see me. What’s your position?’ Except myself, everybody in that meeting (about 13 of us) spoke. I didn’t speak not because I wasn’t in support of it, but because I knew what was happening. So it was better for others who didn’t have the privilege or knowledge of what was happening to make their opinion known. Each and every member of that national caucus said, ‘why don’t you go and hear Mr President out?’
To cut the story short, they met in France and agreed to work together to uplift Nigeria. They also decided to come back and talk and carry their constituency along. Until the second time, they never met. The second time they met was during the demolition of Ganduje’s properties. It was not the property of the Kano people that was being demolished. Ganduje is a devil. When you let out the bullet, it is very difficult to catch it.
Why describe him as that?
Because I have an intention. Because I have already reasoned that I have very little time left on this earth and, in all my life (over 70 years), I can’t see the Nigeria I have worked to see working well for you, me and our children. I am frustrated that only bad people succeed.
So, Kwankwaso came to him and said ‘look at this plot demolished or this property, look at the owners, all of them are linked to Ganduje.’ He explained the situation to Mr President and the President said, ‘oh sorry, I didn’t know that it is like this. I gave instructions but that would be stopped.’ I don’t want to mention what instruction. He met Mr President three times and the last time he met Mr President was because we (NNPP) wrote a letter to Mr President that this is the rumour we hear; your people in Kano, this is what they say on radio and this is what they say in the social media, which is that irrespective of our clear victory in Kano that cannot be controverted in any court of law, Kano is too large to be left in the hands of an opposition party, therefore they will take it by force as they did in 2019.
Is that a big fear on your part?
If you were in my shoes, what would be your position?Has there been any conversation between the President and Kwankwaso regarding the latter being a member of the President’s cabinet?
Yes. No. If they said they will work together, working together entails anything or nothing. I can work together with you. Now we are working together because we are having a conversation. It is not an alliance. Kwankwaso is a nationalist, patriotic Nigerian, who means well for this country. As a politician, we can meet with everybody. Whatever is the case, Kwankwaso had the permission from the party to go and talk to Tinubu and any other political group, so he didn’t do it on his own.
How do you intend to resolve this issue with the intense opposition against those taking sides with Kwankwaso? Are you aware of Agbo Major?
Do you know them? How many of them do you know? Of course he (Agbo Major) is the National Publicity Secretary and a member of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party. He has been expelled and isn’t a member of the NNPC. He knew because all of them who were expelled were called to a disciplinary committee where they were drilled and they accepted their sin. It is on the basis of their acceptance of what they had done that they were recommended to the National Working Committee for expulsion and the National Working Committee took a decision on behalf of NEC.
They (expelled members) knew that 21 days ago today (Tuesday), we wrote INEC that we are holding the National Executive Committee of the NNPP because we had to invite INEC to sit with us. We wrote to INEC and they knew we are meeting today and INEC will be there.
They also knew that NEC will expel them that is why they thought they would do a counter coup with seven of them aggregating in Lagos to say that they have expelled Kwankwaso. In today’s meeting, all the members of the NEC except Major were present. All the members of the National Assembly in our party were present and all senators in our party, our governor was also there and me, the only member of the Board of Trustees, BoT, was there. We took this decision with INEC present, therefore they remain expelled from the party.
