APC Flexing Muscles to Halt the ‘Red-Cap’ Era in Kano State? By ‘Kola Akintibubo

By ‘Kola Akintibubo

First and foremost, it would be recalled that Kano State is one of the largest states and a nerve center of commercial activities in Nigeria. It has attracted dozens of multinational corporations and foreign direct investments. Kano State is also a cash cow region for the realization of its huge internally generated revenue in terms of taxes and the like.

Aside from this, the state is a formidable zone for electoral contests. In other words, for a presidential candidate of any political party to hold sway and make headway in the contest, particular attention must be given to Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna and Borno States. This shows without any iorta of doubt, how relevant and significant Kano State is in the political ecosystem of the contemporary Nigeria. This underscores the fact that Kano State is one of the states that determine who becomes the Nigerian president.

However, the above foregoing seems different in the last presidential election that ushered in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He lost the bid in Kano to the ‘Red-Cap boss’ Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP who cleared the region by a very wide margin leaving Asiwaju Tinubu taking a distant second.

Apparently, there seems to be a seismic shift in the political sphere of Kano State as a gale of defections continues to overtly ravage the NNPP as the party is now battling with its persistent diminishing membership base being experienced at reducing geometric rate.

The first of its kind was the massive cross-carpeting of thousands of NNPP members led by ten stalwarts of the party into the APC fold. This move was orchestrated by the Senator representing Kano North, Senator Barau I. Jibrin (CFR), a couple of months ago. The process was termed “Barau ‘s Tsunami in Kano State”.

It would be recalled that Senator Barau is the sitting Deputy President at the upper legislative chamber. When inquired about what endeared the defectors to the APC, they cited the qualitative representation coupled with warm personality of “Maliya” as fondly called by his admirers.

Very prominent among them according to available records are Abdulrahman Maikadama, the Senior Special Assistant to the Kano State governor, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf; Muttaka Balarabe (Tuta), the Kano State Supervisory Councillors’ Forum; Ali Isa Jita, a talented and renowned singer and actor with the Chairman, Kannywood Industry, Murya Daya; Alhaji Hassan Nuhu Hassan, Chairman Oil and Gas Marketers in Kano State who is one of he financiers of the NNPP, and others, are now full fledged members of the All Progressives Congress.

As if that was not enough, just recently, a greater wave of defections greeted the Kwankwasiyya Movement’s Party, NNPP, in the state, this time championed by the current State Minister of Housing and Urban Development Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Attah. It was reported that over 50,000 members of the NNPP are set to formally renounce their membership and leave the party for the APC.

Also worthy of mention was the strategic appointment of the Minister by PBAT; protracted and unresolved internal crises within the party in the face of strong vigor and determination demonstrated by the APC in its efforts of mobilization informed their decision to join the APC.

It was reliably gathered that a massive rally would be organized in Kano before the year ends to welcome the defectors officially. The source reiterated that APC is the only party with a vision for the Nigeria’s future.

From the foregoing analysis, it seems stage is almost set for the successful outing of the second term bid of PBAT. This is so because, what Asiwaju Tinubu lost the other time can now be regained in Kano and some other states come 2027 ceteris paribus.

In conclusion, things are not that rosy for the top-echelon of the NNPP again as the followers of the party are now openly discarding and jettisoning the party’s symbol for the APC’s. This as reported, has been giving the party’s leadership including the former governor of the state and leader of Kwankwasiyya Movement, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso sleepless nights and are still unable to placate the situation and pacify the minds of the aggrieved members.

Prince ‘Kola Akintibubo
Ile-Ife, Osun State
kolaakintibubo@gmail.com