Abba without Kwankwaso will fail – Buba Galadima

Amid growing speculation over a possible political realignment in Kano State, elder statesman and NNPP chieftain, Engr Buba Galadima, speaks on the evolving relationship between Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. In this wide-ranging interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Thursday, Galadima dismissed claims of an imminent fallout between the two allies, while acknowledging pressures on the governor to abandon his political base.

What is happening between Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his protégé, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf? Have they parted ways?

No.

We saw Kwankwaso about two weeks ago, or ten days, talking to his followers in his house in Kano, saying that betrayers will definitely see. Was he not referring to Abba Kabir Yusuf?

Does anybody need to tell you that whoever betrays will pay for it? Of course, that is certain.

But was he not referring to Abba Kabir Yusuf?

Did he call him? He has not yet done that. And he has never told us, in the party, or confided in Kwankwaso, because I should know, that he is going. So, as far as we are concerned for now, it is speculation. That does not mean that he may not go. But if he goes, he is not fighting us. He is fighting God.

Oh, he wants to stand on his feet. Which leg will he stand on? So it means that now he is standing on Kwankwaso’s feet. That is the allusion. If he is standing on Kwankwaso’s back, then it means he has no feet to stand on. And if he attempts to stand on borrowed feet, he will fall.

Are you saying that he will not survive the APC tsunami without Kwankwaso?

I just want to remind you and remind the public of the relationship between Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. I should not use some other words. Let me be generous. They have been together for over 30 years.

Before politics, in politics and in governance. The world should know this.

Kwankwaso almost lost all his disciples because he anointed Abba Kabir Yusuf to be governor of Kano. And all of them, I can count 20 or more senior people in the movement, left Kwankwaso because they felt that Abba was not the appropriate person to be governor. But all of them forgot one thing: that it is God that makes the king.

So Kwankwaso anointed Abba Kabir Yusuf, and he won the election in 2019, but then Ganduje was declared winner. God did not make him governor that time, even though he won the election. Ganduje was declared with the help of General Buhari.

And in 2023, again, the same Kwankwaso decided that he should be fielded. And he was fielded.

During the process, Ganduje, who rode on the back of Buhari in 2019, now turned around and called Buhari habu na habu. You are from Katsina. You know what Mamman Shata meant by habu na habu. It is the greatest insult you can give to a human being; a drunkard who sleeps on the street, urinates on himself and walks naked. That is what he called Buhari. And Buhari did not say a word. You see how God works.

So the election was held. Ganduje mobilised all the security agencies in this country. As an APC governor under an APC federal government, they wanted to deny us that victory. But because God destined that Abba Kabir Yusuf would be the governor of Kano State, the same Buhari, people did not know, used the apparatus of government and put his foot down and said, this boy won in 2019 and he has won again. He should be declared.

Did you see that day that all of us, including Kwankwaso, slept at INEC? I do not think he has forgotten.

But it appears he has. We have seen him at the Villa, which people believe is about realignment. What took him to the Villa?

The Villa is not President Tinubu’s house. It is a house for Nigerians. I can go to the Villa. You can go to the Villa. It does not mean I have gone to Tinubu’s house. He is just a temporary resident. A transient resident.

Listen to me. Abba was declared governor of Kano. A lot of his friends, we know, three months into his tenure, we know those who are pushing him to abandon Kwankwaso.

So, you know there is pressure on him to abandon Kwankwaso?

I say we know. I do not want it to go further.

From where? Is the pressure from within Kano or Abuja?

I have already given you the meat. Find the knife to cut and eat. I do not have it. Pressure can come from anywhere that he should abandon Kwankwaso.

For me personally, I think he has stayed long enough with Kwankwaso. At least, I know he stood long enough under that pressure. Maybe he is relieving the pressure now. Maybe. I do not know. Because he has not said officially that he is going.

But feelers around him have indicated that he is leaving.

It does not matter. We do not talk to them. They are too small for us to reply to them.

Last year, when the former SSG was accused of spearheading the “Abba tsaya da kafarka” movement, he was sacked. But now almost all members of the state assembly and council chairmen have endorsed his movement. Are you aware?

They know that apart from God, the person who made them is Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Each and every one of them.

I am sure if they sleep, if they go to bed, they cannot sleep. Because it was Kwankwaso single-handedly that made them chairmen and legislators. But God did not abandon him.

Forget about elected people. What are the feelings coming from Kano? That is what APC and Tinubu are also considering, whether to take some people in or to forsake them. Because you must bring value.

But let me go back. God made Abba Kabir Yusuf governor of Kano State. But anything that happens in this world, there is a reason. There is a ladder. Kwankwaso is that ladder.

To all elected NNPP people in Kano, even PDP, even APC. There is no single elected APC person in Kano that did not go through the Kwankwaso school of politics. If there is, tell me. Starting from Ganduje, Abdullahi Abbas, Barau Jibrin, Kawu Sumaila, who are they? All of them were Kwankwaso’s boys.

Does that not suggest something fundamentally wrong with Kwankwaso if all these people are no longer with him?

Let me finish that one. What we are watching now is this. They are saying they are going to APC because NNPP has problems, because NNPP is in factions, and even if they win elections they will not be declared.

Let us take the two scenarios. There was an election in Kano two or three months ago. Two constituencies. We won both. They took one away. On which platform did those candidates contest? NNPP. Go to INEC’s website.

If NNPP is factionalised, we will not be on the INEC server. Who are the leaders of NNPP there? You will see Dr Ajiji Ahmed and Buba Galadima as national officers.

APC has taken us to court 18 times. They will go to court and fail. They are just siphoning money. Over N3 billion has been spent to take NNPP to court. Their intention is to disabuse the public that NNPP is not a viable alternative.

Are you saying APC is causing the problems?

Of course. They are now saying that if they continue on the NNPP platform, even if they win, they will not be declared, or the courts will take it away.

Were the courts not there before? Did we not win at the Supreme Court?

So now they are migrating from the hands of God to the hands of Tinubu. If that is true, I wish them luck. It is between them and God.

If the governor eventually moves, will he get Kwankwaso’s support?

If he moves without Kwankwaso, he will not get it. Kwankwaso has a party, and we are building it.

Every politician and leader in Nigeria today talks to Kwankwaso. He is the common denominator of Nigerian politics today.

If Tinubu asked Abba to come and bring Kwankwaso, then Tinubu is wrong. Abba cannot dare ask Kwankwaso to follow him. As far as Tinubu and Kwankwaso are concerned, Abba is inconsequential.

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