Kwankwaso accuses Yusuf of plotting to shut NDC out of Kano governorship race

Vice-Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

From Desmond Mgboh, Kano Vice-Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, of attempting to frustrate his party’s participation in the 2027 governorship election by allegedly influencing the omission of its candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from the list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Kwankwaso, who spoke yesterday at his Miller Road residence in Kano, alleged that the governor was interfering with electoral and judicial processes to prevent the NDC from fielding a governorship candidate, warning that continued political confrontation could heighten tension in the state. The former Kano governor, who also accused Yusuf of attempting to destabilise the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) after defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), appealed to influential stakeholders to prevail on him to respect democratic competition and allow opposition parties to participate freely in the elections. He claimed to have received information suggesting that Yusuf was unwilling to face strong opposition in the governorship contest, particularly from the NDC candidate, and was therefore exploring ways to frustrate his participation. “If you remember, immediately he left us (defected), the first thing he did was to see how he would destroy our party (NNPP), to create factions in our party in Kano and Abuja, and to use the courts to take the party away from its leadership,”he said. Referring specifically to the omission of Gwarzo’s name from the INEC list, Kwankwaso alleged that the state government was involved in efforts to prevent the candidate from contesting. “We have seen very clearly the hands of the state government in all of these — manipulating, and doing all sorts of things, playing games at INEC and now playing games in the court to stop our candidate.” Kwankwaso said Yusuf was entitled to join any political party of his choice but should not interfere with the activities of those who remained in opposition. “It is not like we didn’t like him. We liked him despite all the issues he had as a person, but he decided voluntarily to leave. And if you have decided to leave us, why not leave totally? You are in APC. That is no problem. This is democracy, but please do not continue to play with fire. “Because the way he is going, he may end up creating a very unpleasant situation in Kano to the extent that it may affect several other places. We have been trying to tell our supporters to be calm, but everything has its elastic limit,” he said. The former governor urged political leaders and other stakeholders with influence over Yusuf to intervene before the disagreement escalated. “Those who can talk to him should talk to him. The people are very angry. With all these unnecessary distractions, he may create a problem that may not be easily contained,” he warned. Beyond the dispute over the Kano governorship ticket, Kwankwaso defended the NDC’s presidential arrangement involving Peter Obi and himself, arguing that the party offered an alternative to both the ruling APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He claimed that support for the NDC was growing across the country and that the party had become a major force in opposition politics. 2027: We won’t step down for ADC, any party -KwankwasoFresh crisis hits OK Movement as DG resignsKano 2027: All against Kwankwaso “I believe the general feeling of Nigerians, especially those who have done opinion polls, is that our party is the most formidable opposition in this country. The graph is going up,” he said. Kwankwaso also criticised the APC’s record in government and questioned the capacity of the ADC to provide an alternative, urging politicians advocating an opposition coalition to consider joining the NDC. “So far, so good, NDC is the party to beat. Everybody can see that APC has failed and everybody believes today that the ADC cannot do the job. Therefore, we are the only good alternative Nigerians have,” he stated. He thanked youths across the northern and southern parts of the country for supporting the party and its presidential candidate, maintaining that the Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement reflected his preferred approach to regional and religious balancing in the 2027 presidential election. According to him, the presidency should remain in the South in the next electoral cycle, with a northern Muslim occupying the vice-presidential position. “In the North, we have people who think we should support the ADC. But fundamentally, we don’t agree with that. What we agree with is to have a southern candidate, preferably a Christian, and that is what we found in His Excellency, Peter Obi, and a Northern Muslim as his running mate to have a balanced ticket,” he said. Kwankwaso recalled that the political arrangement preceding the 2015 presidential election favoured the North and resulted in the emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the same consideration should now support a southern presidential candidate. He maintained that fielding a northern presidential candidate under the ADC could complicate efforts to build an opposition consensus ahead of the elections. The NDC vice-presidential candidate also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s borrowing policy, accusing the Federal Government of increasing the country’s debt obligations despite the additional revenue expected from the removal of petrol subsidy. He argued that Nigerians had continued to endure higher fuel prices and economic hardship without corresponding improvements in infrastructure and public services. “It is very sad that our government is not managing our resources well enough. We have enough resources to make every Nigerian comfortable. Subsidy has been removed, fuel is now expensive, but there is nothing to show in terms of projects, and yet the government is borrowing huge amounts of money,” he said. Kwankwaso expressed particular concern over the administration’s latest external borrowing request before the National Assembly, questioning the long-term implications for future generations. “We are aware that before the National Assembly, there is a request of about $21 billion and the government has just a few months in office. We are not in support of taking loans that will be paid by our grandchildren,” he added. He urged the government to manage available resources more prudently and reduce dependence on borrowing, maintaining that Nigeria possessed sufficient economic potential to improve citizens’ welfare through effective management of public funds. Tags:

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