The not-too-rosy relationship between Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso, appeared to have entered another phase where a test of supremacy may soon be coming into play.
Aside the feud between the two political gladiators of Kano State, it was already glaring to all that both had finally become two parallel lines when Kwankwanso finally defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) some months ago.
Following this, the duo have been tackling themselves politically, secretly. But the latest war of words between them has now confirmed the true state of affairs between the two leaders.
Just recently, Ganduje dared Kwankwaso to enter Kano for his presidential campaign if he believes he is popular among the people, saying he and the people of Kano State were ready to reject the former governor, especially on his presidential ambition.
“Kano is not and will never be ready to welcome Kwankwaso. Kano people have every constitutional right to make their democratic choices,” he said.
He added that the citizens of Kano had already rejected Kwankwanso .
“And as such, we have all the right to reject him and we have already rejected him. We never considered him from day one as a presidential material. We shall continue to maintain our position about him. We know nobody but President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ganduje maintained.
He explained that Sen Kwankwanso is already aware that the people of Kano will use every democratic way possible to reject him and show him an exit from political participation, even before the general election.
While reminding the people of the state of the efforts of the state government in alleviating their problems, especially the series of fire outbreak in markets, Governor Ganduje condemned Sen Kwankwanso for not bothering to even pay them a condolence visit.
“We , in Kano, witnessed the demise of distinguished personalities, of which he chose not to come and we had fire outbreaks in some of our markets and this man (Kwankwanso), did not care to come and sympathise with the victims,” he stated.
Ganduje further explained that even as the state government sets up a special fundraising committee to support the people faced with the plight and made a staunch follower of Sen Kwankwaso the chairman of the committee, he still never contributed to the people of Kano.
Responding to the missiles fired at him, Senator Kwankwanso said Governor Ganduje is nothing but a political ‘dwarf’ beside him as he described himself as a political ‘giant’ in the state.
Kwankwanso also described his successor as a political spoiler hanging on to President Muhammadu Buhari for political survival.
Speaking through his spokesman, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, Kwankwanso said: “Senator Kwankwanso’s visit to Kano is Ganduje’s nightmare, ” saying there is no basis for comparing the two men.
Abdulsalam said: “He is laughable. Is he blabbing or bragging? I can’t see Governor Ganduje challenging Senator Kwankwanso in any duel at any point in time, politically speaking. They are not on the same wave-length or status as Senator Kwankwanso is a political giant while Governor Ganduje is a dwarf politically and intellectually speaking. There is no basis for comparison as I cannot see a dwarf challenging a giant.“
Abdulsalam further declared that Kano is home of Senator Kwankwaso and nobody has the right to stop him from entering Kano, insisting that he will enter Kano on a grand scale when the time is ripe as the people of the state are eager to receive him.
“Nobody can stop Senator Kwankwanso from entering Kano. When I say, nobody, I am not referring to Governor Ganduje but his masters at the national level,” he
boasted.
The spokesperson further said Gov Ganduje is clinging on President Buhari to win election and not because he is popular on his own. He also accused the Governor of being on a mission to distract Senator Kwankwanso from a national mission of salvaging Nigeria.
“To the best of my understanding, Gov Ganduje is on a hacking mission to distract Senator Kwankwanso and he is a rented spoiler. His job is to distract Kwankwanso’s attention from his larger vision and mission of national salvation” he
concluded.
