Salisu Ibrahim, Kano bureau chief writes on the schism in the Kano State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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For the past few weeks, leading figures in the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] in Kano State have been trading accusations among themselves. Their point of disagreement borders on the state of affairs in the party since the party wrested power from All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP].
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As fate would have it, the power PDP lost in the hands of governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso was equally transferred to him after staying in opposition for two terms of four years. In Kano political parlance, it was referred to as “Hannun Karba Hannun Mayarwa” meaning, the Incumbent Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso who lost to Malam Shekarau took over again from the same person he handed over the reins of power to in 2003.
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Observers however are quick to point at some developments shortly after Kwankwaso’s emergence in May 29 this year. Pundits have it that “as he took immediate steps in government, six months ago, he has equally taken his first stumbles.” There was a war of words with his immediate successor and predecessor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau; there was disagreement with the Emir of Kano over Hawan Sallah [Sallah Festivities]; revocation of plots of land at Kofar Na’isa Quarters and Kofar Nassarawa area of Kano Municipality and the trumping upon of the perceived opponents within and outside the PDP, the Political party that brought him to the fore.? All these and many more continue to make a big pie for the governor to handle.
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Since Kwankwaso assumed office in May this year, there has been a cross fire between him and his predecessor. The latest salvo was at a function to launch the Women Empowerment Scheme, the Kwankwaso administration initiated. Kwankwaso fired at the former governor saying, “if you think you are worth a traditional ruler, is better you stop deceiving yourself. The fact of the matter is that if you are not blue blooded but yet you were turbaned as traditional ruler, you wear nothing on your head but ‘Gammo’ meaning, a head support used by labourers to take load on their heads. In any function attended by the governor, he must have a comment to make on the former governor. He either accuses him of e being unsuitable for leadership or reckless with public funds in his eight year rule. But Shekarau was quick to say that “those who pride themselves as adherents of late Sage, Malam Aminu Kano by just wearing red caps are nothing but what they are; “still un-reformed, un-refined, un- repentant. Adherents of Aminu Kano are those who are best in supporting his ideologies and focused in what they do”. For Shekarau also, in any slightest opportunities given to him to make public speech, he accuses the incumbent of lack of focus and for setting the state on the path of decay.
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Right now in Kano, if ANPP is being regarded as a party with a multiple- personality disorder, the PDP which seems to pretend to be normal has a lot of in- house fighting that may lead to the break up of the three distinct factions that made up the party.
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While the party had buried the hatchet prior to the last gubernatorial elections that saw the emergence of Kwankwaso as governor, of recent, leading groups within the party continue to dissipate their energies in either public functions or in the various radio stations in the state by accusing one another of allegations, some spurious.
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Watchers of Kano politics fear that their rift may erupt to a level that can lead to the breakage of the political party. Disputes within party members always sounded like the leading groups are heading for the rocks.
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For those following political history in the state, PDP has been divided and populated by people from three different factions- the Santsi Group; the Tabo Group and the Kwankwasiyya Group. Santsi Group took its name after late Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi when he disagreed with his political mentor Late Malam Aminu Kano who led the other Tabo Group. The latest Kwankwasiyya Group is being led by the incumbent. Since the last election, the Kwankwasiyya Group had an edge over the remaining groups in view of the dominance of the group over the others. At the party’s primary election, the group routed the Santsi and Tabo Groups and with his emergence as the governor, the story is not different. Late Muhammad Abubakar Rimi, of blessed memory was the leading figure in the Santsi Group and had a lot of following prior to his death in 2010. But Santsi’s influences continue to plunge, prompting fears among its adherents that its relevance is diminishing with every passing day. On the other hand, the governor did not take a hoot in his attempt to make only his loyalist relevant. In every political gathering or government function, every member of the party is expected to chant “Kwankwasiyya Slogan”, a move regarded by governor’s loyalists as mark of respect to its leadership in the party but detested by other factions as detrimental to the party’s growth.
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“We reconciled in order to win election but yet we have been short changed. We reconciled and resolved to make sacrifices and in the end, we’ve been excluded”, both the Santsi and Tabo Groups seem to have said.
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For the PDP in Kano State, it was just like a marriage of convenience, a marriage of reason to win and not of love for one another. Now that the reconciliation has brought the party to power after eight years of opposition but leading figures are still gasping as to what happened to the understanding that brought the party to relevance.
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Observers believed that the PDP in Kano is like a bad marriage. The partners are bickering constantly while they resent their mutual dependency. The reconciliation among party members eventually put the party in government but yet they bicker among themselves.
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Kano is a home of radical politicians who followed after late Political Sage, Aminu Kano. But what divided the radicals in the 80’s is still manifesting now as those followers of Late sage and former members of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) coalesced together in PDP to form a government. Perhaps, that was what resulted in the party to split along ideological lines and the rift among the various adherents continue to grow deeper.
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Political observers believed that, if the trend continues, the party’s chances at the next local government election will hang on the balance.
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As development continues along that line, Kwankwasiyya group continues to perceive the Santsi Group as a worrisome partner and an embarrassing one while the latter view the former as a betrayer that thrive on the back of others and in the end ditch them. The concern has been widely articulated in a meeting held recently to revive the Santsi ideology. So far, there was deep sense of frustration because of the alleged feeling of marginalization and continued irrelevance in the scheme of things. The situation in the party was already unstable; and the group believes that the governor is making the tense situation even worse. The depth of those feel.