Inside and outside Nigeria’s All Progressive Congress, APC, ruling party household – across states of Nigeria — cracks are visibly manifest. Most contentious are the crisis in Kano, Zamfara, Oyo and Kogi States. Worried about the situation, President Muhammadu Buhari has assigned Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the responsibility to lead a committee to consult, reconcile and build confidence within the ruling party.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Tuesday, said the assignment will involve resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some States of the Federation.
The crisis situation in Kano APC between former governor Rabiu Kwankwanso and incumbent governor Abdullahi Ganduje is getting to epic proportion, and likely becoming irreconcilable. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, recently, put off his planned visit to Kano, for security reasons. He said the decision was to allow peace and security to prevail in the state.
At the heat of Kwankwaso’s contentious visit to Kano, the State Police Command advised him to suspend the planned visit. Rabiu Yusuf, Kano State Commissioner of Police warned that failure to yield to the security advice might attract sanctions.
Rabiu Bichi, speaking to journalists on behalf of Kwankwaso, in connection with the cancellation of the visit said: “We put off the visit after wide consultations with friends, well-wishers home and abroad”. Bichi said Kwankwaso had not visited Kano State since leaving office and handing over to Ganduje in 2015, except a very short visit which lasted few hours when the governor lost his mother.
Bichi said: “Considering the fact that the government of Ganduje has fully prepared to wage a war on the visit, Kwankwaso has decided to call it off, due to the concern of Kwankwaso for his people whom he cherished and will not want to spill their blood unnecessarily”.
There have been speculations that Kwankwaso and his teaming supporters in Kano State, may defect from the APC due to the crisis, especially, due to poor handling of the situation by the party leadership. In the past weeks, it has been reported that different meetings involving President Buhari, Vice President Osinbajo and party Chairman, Odigie-Oyegun, with Kwankwaso and Ganduje in attendance have been held to persuade Kwankwaso not to leave the party.
Aminu Dabo, close associate of Kwankwaso, Friday last week, advised the presidency and national leadership of APC against the consequences of taking sides with Governor Ganduje against Kwankwaso. Dabo’s words: “The consequence of taking side with Governor Ganjuje in this crisis will be huge because the people of Kano State are not happy with the governor and what is happening.”
Bola Tinubu’s fence mending committee will have its hands full, and could face the huge task of putting the house of the All Progressive Congress, APC, party together.
