Olusegun ARIYO
Contents
A senior figure within the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Saddam Sani Umar, has cautioned that anyone who betrays the movement’s leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, never ends well.Umar, who serves as the Kano State welfare secretary of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, pointed to what he described as the political downfall of former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, as a clear example of the consequences of betraying Kwankwaso.His remarks come against the backdrop of speculations that the current Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, may be considering a switch from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC.Kwankwaso, widely regarded as Governor Yusuf’s political mentor, has publicly dismissed claims that he supported any plan for Yusuf to defect to the APC.In an interview with Daily Trust, Umar emphasised that Kwankwaso’s influence extends far beyond Kano State, describing him as a national political force.According to Umar, any suggestion that Kwankwaso could be politically weakened ignores established realities.He stressed that history has repeatedly shown that disloyalty to Kwankwaso leads to failure.Umar recalled that Ganduje’s government suffered an electoral defeat in 2019, only remaining in power due to what he described as a controversial declaration of an inconclusive election.Umar noted that in 2023, Kwankwaso demonstrated his political strength by successfully installing Abba Yusuf as governor, despite the movement having no councillors in government at the time.He added that Yusuf had never previously contested any elective office and had spent more than three decades working as Kwankwaso’s personal aide.Umar explained that Kwankwaso first appointed Yusuf as a commissioner before eventually backing him for the governorship, arguing that it would be shortsighted to believe Kwankwaso would now emerge as the loser in Kano’s political equation.He said, “Kwankwaso is the leader of this movement across Nigeria, not just in Kano. To suggest he will be the loser is to ignore reality.“Betraying Kwankwaso does not end well; history proves it. Look at the previous administration. Ganduje betrayed Kwankwaso and eventually lost.“In 2019, they lost the election, save for that controversial “inconclusive” result. By 2023, even without a single councillor in government, Kwankwaso single-handedly brought in Abba Gida Gida.”
