National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, yesterday took a swipe on the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the February 25 presidential poll, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Ganduje said the one-time Kano governor will remain a serial loser in presidential elections.
The rivalry between the two Kano politicians was reopened by the return of the NNPP candidate in the March 18 governorship election in Bauchi State, Haliru Dauda Jika, and his supporters.
The APC chair spoke yesterday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja while hosting Sen. Jika, who formally returned to the ruling party.
According to Ganduje, the pursuit of what he called “selfish interest against national interest” would continue to hinder the realisation of Kwankwaso’s ambition.
He also said his erstwhile boss’ inability to maintain a “principled stand” in party politics over the years will also work against the former Defence minister.
Hailing Jika’s decision to return to the APC fold as a step in the right direction, the chairman noted that the former NNPP flag bearer must have found his stint in the Kwankwasiyya-backed’ NNPP as “deceitful and exploitative”.
Receiving Jika and the other defectors with the entire Bauchi NNPP structure, Ganduje said,
“When I got the news that you were coming to see me in my house to discuss the way forward, I knew I was meeting a very formidable politician in the person of Senator Jika who is a household name in Bauchi state.
“He is returning to a party that is very progressive and focused when we look at where he was coming from. He is coming from a party that used to be a decent party and highly-respected but was later hijacked and polluted by the Kwankwasiya group.
“We are happy that the original NNPP is taking back its proper position and leaving the Kwankwasiya group deserted and thrown out completely.
“The Kwankwasiyya group headed by the former Kano state governor was forced to go into a sabbatical leave for eight years before it found its way back to Government House in Kano.
“The Kwankwasiya head who wears a red cap is the person who prefers to be a king in hell than be a servant in paradise. He specialises in deceiving people. He was first in PDP and came back to APC when it was formed. That was when the (New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) merged with the legacy parties to form the APC.
“Instead of staying in APC because of his ambition, he decided to leave APC after failing to pick the presidential ticket to go back to the PDP. He could not stay there again when he failed to pick up the ticket.
“He still went on his own to contest the presidential poll and was defeated twice. He is a professional contestant for presidential elections and would remain a professional failure. He loves himself so much. I am happy you have dumped the red cap. It is a very sensible action that you have taken.”
Ganduje promised the returnees of inclusiveness in the local chapter of the APC in Bauchi State as part of an ongoing effort to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 poll.
According to him, the party felt bad with its performance during the general election in the Northeast state.
He carried out a symbolic change by removing the red cap, usually worn by the Kwankwasiya group and replacing it with the unbroken chain insignia cap of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to receive Jika and his group to the APC fold.
Jika later told reporters that his decision to return to APC was informed by the wishes of his teeming supporters in Bauchi state.
He said,
“My dumping NNPP for APC has nothing to do with the presidential candidate of NNPP. I have no issue with Kwankwaso. The interest of Bauchi State informed my returning to APC.”
Admitting that Vice President Kashim Shettima and the First Lady, Sen Remi Tinubu, also influenced his decision to return to the APC fold, the Ninth Assembly senator pledged to remain loyal to the ruling party and to ensure its victory come 2027 in Bauchi and at the federal levels.
