A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State and former political ally to President Muhammadu Buhari, Danbilki Kwamanda, yesterday advised the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to jettison plans of wooing the national leader and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, back to the APC, saying such move was capable of destroying the party.
Kwamanda who spoke to journalists in Kano said secret meetings between Tinubu and Kwankwaso had been uncovered, adding that such a deal was unhealthy to the survival of the APC in Kano and at the national level.
The chieftain who assiduously campaigned for Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, described Kwakwaso’s return to APC as a “bad omen” which would not only collapse the party’s structure, but also throw it into unrecoverable crises.
Kwamanda also advised the APC national leadership to zone the senate presidency to the North-West, tipping the senator representing Kano North, Senator Barau Jibrin as the best candidate going by his wealth of experience in legislative duties.
“Tinubu is secretly romancing Kwankwaso. May be because he sees Kwankwaso as popular, that is why he wants to align himself with him.
“We in the North will not condone alliance with Kwankwaso. We will resist it with all our strength. Kwankwaso did not help Tinubu win the election. We will not allow Tinubu align with Kwankwaso in a bid for Kwankwaso to defect to APC.
“If this becomes a reality, we will fight Tinubu and APC in the North. We are not impressed with Kwankwaso’s politics and we warn Tinubu not to dare woo him into APC.
“Tinubu sees Kwankwaso as a hero, we know he is not. Tinubu should not be carried away by Kwankwaso’s success in Kano and winning Kano in the presidential election. He cannot offer anything in Tinubu’s movement,” he said.
Kwamanda further stated that the position of senate president is non-negotiable for the North, particularly Kano, having played a major role in the survival of the APC since its formation.
