Senator Kwankwaso not a threat to Ganduje’s second term bid —Musa Kwankwaso

Alhaji Ilyasu Musa Kwankwaso, Kano State Commissioner for Rural Development, is a nephew to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.

In this interview by KOLA OYELERE, he speaks on his constant criticism of his uncle, the newly-found alliance between the senator and former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and the chances of the incumbent Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, given the exit of his deputy from the state cabinet, among other issues.

Are you related by blood to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso?

We are from this town, Kwankwaso, in Madobi Local Government Area of Kano State. We have inter-marriage between each other; his (Senator Kwankwaso) family married from my family and vice versa.

Apart from that, there is nothing between us. However, we share one thing in common: both of us are politicians and we used to belong to the same political party.

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You are always against the former governor, but he was your leader until a few years ago. What really went wrong?

The issue is on ground of politics. I do not have any personal crisis with him. The only thing between me and him bordered on individual policy.

While I hate doing this, an adage says, if you don’t blow your trumpet, nobody would blow it for you. My cardinal policy is to assist people in whatever position Almighty Allah places me at any given time because I believe that no condition is permanent.

I know that whatever position one is occupying today, God had destined such a person to be there. It is just a privilege and not a right. Whoever such a person in a position of influence assisted in one way or another would never be forget it.

Though I am not trying to cast aspersions on former Governor Kwankwaso, it is well known to the generality of the people in Kano and our village that he has failed several times to render assistance to the people despite his influence and power.

He has failed to do such things as helping the people. What I am trying to say is that the moment he got elected, he forgot those people that helped him to secure victory.

The funny aspect is that the moment he got elected, it became very difficult for him to either associate with or even be ready to assist the underprivileged who had, at one time or the other, assisted him to secure the victory.

The only time he resurfaces is when he needs such a favour and support again and this kind of behaviour is not good for a respected politician.

That is the only reason I have always attacked him. I don’t have anything personal against him. Senator Kwankwaso is my brother and we are from the same town.

The only point of difference between me and him is that he did not take care of our people in our local government area. If you have the opportunity to be in our local government area, you would not believe that it is a town that Senator Kwankwaso comes from.

This is because there is no serious development and there is nothing to write home about there. Even the road linking my town to Kano is an eyesore.

You will feel sorry for us in Madobi Local Government Area because most of the roads there are seriously begging for rehabilitation. It is saddening and pathetic that this is where a two-term former governor comes from. In a nutshell, Senator Kwankwaso has failed to bring development to our village. These are the areas where I used to be at loggerheads with him.

What are the things you see in Governor Abdullahi Ganduje that are missing in Senator Kwankwaso?

Let me tell you, without making mountain out of a molehill, the difference between the two is very clear. To compare the incumbent governor, Dr Ganduje with Senator Kwankwaso, if I can be permitted to use this analogy, is like comparing the dead with the living.

Governor Ganduje has listening ears; he is ever ready to listen to advice and suggestions. With the little time I have served in his government, I can say much about his character.

At the State Executive Council meeting, he always allows every commissioner to express his or her views; he allows easy participation in the running of the affairs of the state.

Senator Kwankwaso, on the other hand, behaved like an emperor and a dictator. He was the only one that was right and whatever he said at anytime must be final.

Apart from that, if there is any social function, either naming, funeral or marriage ceremony, Dr Ganduje would not underrate whoever is involved as he would not hesitate to attend such an event.

The incumbent governor is always participating in community development and programmes. But all these are not in the character of the former governor.

Don’t you think that the APC in Kano State is in trouble, with the alliance between former Governors Shekarau and Kwankwaso?

There is no cause for alarm. With respect to my good former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau whom I regard as one of my mentors in politics, let me tell you that, very soon, there would be a crisis between them, especially on who would produce the governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Take it or leave it, my brother, Senator Kwankwaso, would be desperate to produce the party’s governorship candidate. This would automatically cause disaffection and a big crisis within the ranks of the PDP.

You will recall what happened when Senator Kwankwaso moved to the APC. As you know, Malam Shekarau was one of the founding fathers or members of the APC. But the very moment Senator Kwankwaso defected to the party, he took over the affairs of the party from Malam Shekarau.

This led to Shekarau leaving the party for the PDP.  I am quite sure that Senator Kwankwaso would be adamant to produce the governorship candidate of the party and this would lead to the death of the PDP in the state.

This is because people like Malam Shekarau, Ambassador Aminu Wali and other old members who have suffered for the party would not be willing to succumb to Kwankwaso’s whims and caprices and they would not hesitate to abandon the party.

As you can see, Kwankwaso influenced the state deputy governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, to resign from office. Shekarau’s game plan was to sponsor Professor Abubakar to vie as the governorship candidate of the PDP.

As of now, Senator Kwankwaso also has two persons he wants to sponsor as governorship candidate for the 2019 election. Mark my word, he would not allow either the Ambassador Wali camp or the Malam Shekarau side to produce the candidate for the party for the election.

Don’t you think the resignation of the deputy governor would have a negative impact on Governor Ganduje’s second term bid?

Let me assure you, it can never have even the slightest negative impact on the chances of the incumbent governor in his bid for a second term in the 2019 governorship election.

This is because the masses know he has performed. He is among the few governors who do not owe workers’ salary. Civil servants in the state are in support of the governor’s ambition to come back.

The people living in the rural areas have benefited immensely, even as the governor continues to execute projects that have direct bearing on the masses.

One thing our people have realised is that they are not ready to associate with a loser. They are convinced that the present government in the state has not disappointed them.

Therefore, I can assure you that come 2019, the teeming masses — the talakawas — would come out en masse and cast their votes for both President Muhammadu Buhari and Dr Ganduje to enable them complete their two terms of office.

The problem of Almajiri is real in Kano. How best do you think the problem can be solved?

This is a societal problem facing the whole of the northern part of the country, but the state government has been doing a lot to address the situation.

You will recall that the state government and the state lawmakers have been mapping out strategies to deal with the situation and a law was made to address the Almajiri syndrome.

Though the law is not working perfectly, the state government is not resting on its oars in the quest to solve the problem.

The Ganduje-led government is working with the ulamas and other religious organisations to find a way to rid the state of the Almajiri menace. You know the population of Kano State is very high, it would take some time to totally eradicate the problem.

But with constant and consistent preaching in mosques, coupled with the positive roles and contributions of wealth-to-do citizens and people of the state, it would not take too long time before a tangible goal is achieved in this direction.

The herdsmen/farmers crisis is a major headache of the President Buhari-led administration. What is your view on the crisis and the response of the Federal Government to it?

We thank God that the problem is not so rampant in the state. However, since it is presently affecting some parts of the North, it would not augur well for us to feel unconcerned because those affected areas are peopled by our brothers and sisters.

My governor, Dr Ganduje, well aware of the untold hardships and untimely deaths occasioned by the crisis in the affected states, had affirmed that Kano State is ever ready to provide the Falgore Reserve Area in the state as an alternative place for herdsmen to rear their cattle, instead of causing crisis across the country.

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