The most enormous defeat ever seen in the history of Kano State occurred as a result of a regression that occurred during the past month.
The governor of Kaduna State secured a partnership with Qatar to invest in Kaduna by building an economic city and mass housing, while Abba Kabir Yusuf (the governor of Kano and his godfather’s engineer, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, who is also his father-in-law) was busy destroying properties worth almost 200 billion Naira in Kano.
This is how politics and retaliation differ from one another. It is glaring that, by all intents and purposes, the newly elected governor of Kano went for broke to pay Ganduje back in his own coin.
Kwakwanso is using Abba Kabir as a horsewhip to get revenge on his childhood buddy, longtime political ally, two-term deputy governor, and special adviser while he served as Minister of Defence under Obasanjo from 2003 to 2007, at which time he lost the race for governor for a second term to Malam Shekau.
In 2011, Kwakanso and his constant companion won the election for his second term. The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was installed as the Emir of Kano by these two individuals, who served as Governor and Deputy Governor, in order to prevent the government from arresting him.
He had been suspended by then-President Jonathan due to inflammatory remarks, anti-government activities, and pro-opposition activities. Similar to how Ganduje became his successor, Kwakwanso is known to have played a significant role in the emergence of Ganduje as Governor. As soon as Ganduje became visible, he made an effort to establish himself as an independent leader.
As a second-term governor, Kwakwanso inscribed “Kwakansiyya” on the roof of any schools or public buildings that were constructed or restored under his administration. Of course, Kwakwanso’s egotistical branding of public properties with the Kwakwansiyya cult-like movement offends the bulk of Kano’s elites.
Thus, Ganduje’s rapid rise to prominence was a fait accompli to undermine and sever his relationship with his boss. The ensuing disagreement between them shows that Ganduje harbours intense resentment towards Kwakwanso’s dominant posture and attitudes.
Kwakwanso claimed during his live interview with Seun Okinbaloye of Channel Television Station that the then-Kano Commissioner of Police had warned him to avoid Kano for over three years in order to avoid a fight with Ganduje’s supporters.
The balkanization of the Kano emirate and the unceremonious deposition of the former Emir, who allegedly supported Kwakwanso governorship candidate instead of Ganduje, who was involved in a viral video in which he tucked stashed dollars into his clothes, believed to be the proceeds of corruption according to the people who saw the video, were other interesting issues that culminated in the revenge mission being carried out by the current governor against the Gnaduje administration.
The widely shared video caused a major controversy that damaged his reputation. He was called “Gandollar” and made fun of. Ganduje cannot be exfoliated or cleared of this corruption problem that has been deeply ingrained in the minds of the public by the application of a caravan of detergent and bleach.
It is clear from the analysis above that the current governor’s vengeance is based on the twin issues of Ganduje’s emasculation and the elimination of Kwakwansiyya-branded legacies, as well as the ouster of the former emir, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who was allegedly loyal to Kwakwanso, the supreme authority in Kano politics.
To the surprise of everyone, Governor Abba Kabir did not just demolish the structures on the state-owned land that Ganduje and his associates were given and shared. He went above and beyond what was acceptable in his personal vendetta.
He demolished a historic roundabout built with taxpayer funds and costing millions of naira. Why would somebody want to harm public property merely because they dislike the builder? This is the harsh and destructive politics. At the expense of taxpayer money, Governor Kabir is only a hunting dog set loose to destroy Ganduje legacy.
As wealthy as some native Kanoans may be, the city as a whole is wracked by extreme poverty. The sad truth is that the first year of Governor Abba Kabir’s reign was marked by widespread destruction. Kwakwanso charged Ganduje with stealing and distributing public property.
People believe that Kwakwanso and Ganduje are both guilty of the same crimes of looting, selling land, owning posh locations, and appeasing their friends and relatives with people’s property, according to the general consensus and perspectives. So, to put it simply, this is an instance of the pot calling the kettle black.
Rotimi S Bello, a social commentator, writes from Canada
