It has indeed been an issue of discussion in the public that there is a rift between the Kano state governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his former boss, the former governor of the state Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso.
But it is not true that there are personal squabbles between the two Kano political giants.
Rather, they have varying political interests.
Ganduje, who has been together with Kwankwaso since 1999, served as deputy governor under him and was his Personal Assistant when he was the Minister of Defence during the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration.
It is even the level of closeness they enjoyed as viewed by the public that has raised suspicion as to whether they are at loggerheads now that they belong to opposite camps politically.
It was towards the end of 2015 that things started falling apart between them after Ganduje had won election as governor of the state. There are varying views on what started that row.
But one thing remains certain that it was politically motivated and promoted by beneficiaries of political gains in the state from both sides.
It is more of a case of Ganduje withdrawing himself from the influence and control of Kwankwaso and followers utilizing the opportunity to aggravate the crises for their gains.
Ganduje, as a newly elected governor in 2014, was said to have started on the plains of being obedient and respectful to Kwankwaso, a situation that became unsustainable and was latched onto by their supporters, who worsened it.
Kwankwaso, on the other hand, had won election as the Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial district as a way of maintaining his political relevance in the state.
More so, other sources said that Ganduje was not the candidate of Kwankwaso for the position of the governorship, but when he became governor, he wanted to continue bossing him, a situation Ganduje had to manage himself out of.
A lot of things have happened that were curtailed by the Ganduje administration especially with the influence of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in the state being led by Kwankwaso. Ganduje denounced the Kwankwasiyya Movement and declared it dead.
Towards the build-up to the 2019 general elections, it was generally believed that the tension between the two camps forced Kwankwaso to stay away from the state for a long period.
Things fall apart
Things worsened when Kwankwaso decamped from the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, in the state and joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a bid to revive the party to oust Ganduje from his position, Kwankwaso made efforts to align with the camp of Ibrahim Shekarau of the PDP, a former governor, but was not successful and Shekarau decamped to APC, joined hands with Ganduje and took over the senatorial seat of Kwankwaso instead.
Several Kwankwasiyya Movement leaders also left the fold for the APC including the former deputy to governor Ganduje who was not in good terms with his governor.
It was after he left his position as deputy governor, joined the Peoples Redemption Party PRP, that he later returned to the APC. Kwankwaso made efforts to maintain political relevance and influence in the state by flooring his former Commissioner of Works Abba Kabir Yusuf, to contest for the governorship of the state on the PDP platform.
It was a very tough contest between Kwankwaso and Ganduje that led to a supplementary election in favour of Ganduje, who emerged a winner.
Suspicion
Recently, Kwankwaso was at an event in his hometown of Kwankwaso in Madobi Local Govern-ment Area where he opened a School of Nursing and Midwifery as part of his 63rd birthday celebration. On his way back from the event, as he was entering Kano, his convoy was attacked by thugs, who injured 15 persons and smashed 10 vehicles.
The PDP and Kwankwasiyya movement issued a statement accusing governor Ganduje’s camp of masterminding the act. Almost at the same time, Ganduje got published in some national dailies, happy birthday messages to Kwankwaso.
This killed the suspicion that he had any connection with the attack on Kwankwaso. There were also reports in the media that the attack was by rival PDP members and had nothing to do with the Ganduje camp.
This is just one of the several attacks on the Kwankwasiyya by thugs in recent times. As a former governor and a political bigwig in the state, Ganduje will wish Kwankwaso a happy birthday even without any ulterior motive.
Moreover, the only thing between the two is their political difference in which they could still be united when the need arises in the future as seen in the return of former governor Sheka-rau, now Senator, to President Buhari’s camp.
