20th June, 2023
Alhaji AbdulMajid Danbiliki Kwamanda is a house-hold name in Kano politics. A close associate of ex-President Muhamandu Buhari, the All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain was one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign coordinators in northern Nigeria. In this interview with MADUABUCHI NMERIBEH, he expressed displeasure over the ongoing demolition of structures by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in Kano. He said the new Kano Governor is acting the scripts of his in-law and political godfather, Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, National Leader and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) during the 2023 presidential election with the ongoing demolitions. He also and advised President Bola Tinubu to be careful in associating with Kwankwaso.
Q A: What is happening in NNPP government pertaining to the demolition of buildings is very pathetic. They have refused to listen to the advise of elders who have condemned the senseless demolition and destruction of Kano’s economy. They have the penchant for disrespecting elders. They are not prepared to develop Kano, rather, they are all-out to destroy our dear state. They are clearly telling investors that they are not needed in Kano, because no sensible investor, both local and international will be pleased to do business with a government that destroys the economy. You can imagine what the demolition has caused. It has taken a number of human lives. It has caused our youths to become thieves and scavengers. Our youths have resorted to breaking and burgling into people’s shops, steal their goods and other valuables. This demolition of people’s business and residential areas is first in history in Kano; and it is capable of instigating social unrest. No indigene of Kano has witnessed or experienced such man’s inhumanity to man since our return to democracy. These atrocities of the NNPP-led administration against the people of Kano is happening less than two weeks after their swearing in. Those who voted for them are now regretting. This is a political disaster. The aim is to bring poverty, because when you are demolishing people’s sources of livelihood, you are reducing them to lazy people and beggars. The society will become vulnerable to all sorts of crimes. This is just wastage of the resources of our dear state and the issue they are portraying that there is a cross sign on those structures is very laughable. This is to tell you that the government is confused . In fact, among them who have the in-depth knowledge of Islam should even know that there is no cross on those structures. Those that constructed those structures are far better than them in all ramifications – knowledge, education, high Intelligence Quotient and understanding. But would you say the alleged insecurity posed by some of the structures and the alleged Christian cross on the Golden Jubilee Tower are not enough reason to pull down that particular structure ?
Also, it is baseless for them to claim that they demolished the historic Golden Jubilee Tower at Government House roundabout for security reasons. It is just a matter of humiliating the good people of Kano. They are intimidated by the good work of Ganduje in Kano state. But nevertheless, the demolished roundabout was not the only work Ganduje has done to Kano people. Ganduje has also erected many flyovers, therefore, they should also demolish those flyovers. They are political enemies of Kano. They don’t want see development in Kano. That roundabout structure was a sign of Kano State reaching the golden jubilee and they put trumpet at the top of the roundabout because that was the first historic emirate in Kano. Every well meaning indigene of Kano knows that they are only witch-hunting. It is the government that is directionless . They don’t have a plan to govern and develop Kano. After 90 days, they will come back and tell us these are the damages we have done to Kano because they are not developing the state. Kano indigenes have counted losses worth billions of Naira under this cruel government of NNPP. Discernible Nigerians watching the extent of damage are also condemning it. The people of Kano are waiting for the right time. It is quite a pity that the new government has not come with any agenda, plan, vision and manifesto for Kano. The NNPP government is clearly Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s third term. He is the Alpha and Omega of the government. He is using it as an instrument to crush and destroy his political enemies.
How is the government Kwankwaso’s third-term?
From every angle you look at it, Kwankwaso is the Governor de facto. The day to day activities of the government is being directed from his bedroom. Abba Kabir Yusuf is a shadow Governor. Go and check. We have one Governor that only moves around with siren, and the main Governor that takes every single decision. The second one was not elected by the people, but he is running the show. Therefore, I am 100% sure that we are in the third term of kwankwaso. Governor Yusuf cannot do anything by itself, unless what Rabi’u Kwankwaso instructed him to do. He is a figure head. And kwankwaso is the person who does not want the development of Kano state under someone’s watch. Because he is politically disturbed that former Governor Ganduje’s developmental projects overshadowed him, therefore, he is finding the ways to destroy and demolish any project carried out by the administration. Why are you not comfortable with Kwankwaso’s political romance with President Tinubu?
I feel bad about it because I know that Kwankwaso will finally betray Tinubu in whatever deal they are trying to strike. How can President Tinubu dine with a selfish and dangerous politician like Kwankwaso without using a very long spoon. President Tinubu should be wary of Kwankwaso. He is not being fair to people like us who worked for him here in the North. We will be very unhappy to see the political enemy our party dining and winning with President Tinubu. We know what he told his supporters against Tinubu in Kano. We know the campaign of calumny he is launched against Tinubu in the North. So, if you see and recall all those statements, there is no single member of APC in Kano that will be happy if Tinubu offers an appointment to Kwankwaso. We asserted that Kwankwaso political career has come to an end in this 2023. And if President Tinubu eventually appoint Kwankwaso Minister, he will be hurting the feelings of Kano people. He will loose majority of his supporters and his popularity will diminish or fade away in the eyes of Kano people. What I want to remind President Tinubu is that the candidature of kwankwaso did not stop us from winning in his strongest camp or state during the recently concluded election, even though INEC compromised. What does President Tinubu want or is looking from Kwankwaso that he would want to offer him a ministerial appointment ? Is this the way he will pay us back ? Certainly, we don’t hope so. If Tinubu do this, it will be the greatest mistake he will do. We will resist the action. But if he insist to do that, we are politicians, we know how to count our eggs by ourselves in Kano, Northwest and the North at large.
But Kwankwaso has been described by many as the pillar and political godfather of Kano… Forget about those who are saying that. It is totally untrue. There’s one saying in Hausa ” hangen Dala ba shiga birni ba” meaning that sighting the Dala Hills from a distance does not mean you enter the city of Kano. They don’t know the politics that is taking place in Kano. He brought the candidate and win the election, not because he is capable of doing that, but because of former Governor Ganduje created the loophole for them to manipulate the election. And now, the only person that Kwankwaso is scared of is the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin. The reason is that Senator Barau has overshadowed the political history and popularity of every politician in Kano state. Even the next election is going to take place, our leader, Senator Jibrin will definitely defeat Kwakwanso and his NNPP. In the first place, who is Kwankwaso? Our failure was from former Governor Ganduje. Like I said earlier, he did not help the party and its followers. And all the number of votes that we got in Kano state was because of our efforts and our work not because of APC has government in the state. People like Senator Jibrin, Alhaji Zaura, and like me were the ones who campaigned and stayed strongly behind APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the election. We appreciated and worked for Tinubu because of his track record of the way he developed Lagos. We know that he means well for Nigeria. So, people should not mistakenly believe that Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso is the pillar or political godfather in Kano. Kwankwaso is a political dictator, a person who does not want to see anybody grow politically. He does not want anyone to reach his political level. And surprisingly, you will see how Senator Jibrin will tarnish and diminish the politics of Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso in Kano soon.
So, you don’t agree with the justifications that have been given for the ongoing demolitions by the Yusuf’s administration ?
You need not ask me this question. All the demolitions are brain child of Kwankwaso. He is the one directing it. I told you that Abba Kabir Yusuf is simply playing the script of Kwankwaso who is the Governor de-facto. Let me remind you that the Kano populace is not happy with Kwankwaso. There was a time Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso said “even if there are more than 10 storey buildings at the Eid ground, he will clamp down on it,” and all structures build illegally on government own properties they will also do the same. Kwankwaso main intention is to bring down businessmen in Kano. We are counting losses, we are suffering, all these are the plans and manifesto of Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso. Kwankwaso is using the Governor to achieve his agenda of destroying Kano and the governor is following his instructions blindly and Nigerians should note that Kwankwaso is behind all the actions of Governor Yusuf. Even if they say Ganduje has constructed illegal structures in Kano. There were some that were built legally, those built legally should be allowed to exist and those build illegally should be demolished. Let us take the Daula Hotel, Eid- field prayer ground, roundabout and the shops in Kofar Mata stadium east and west were demolished and varieties of places were also demolished like the Race Course field. They used to say those properties belong to Ganduje’s son daughter, siblings and allies. This is not true. We all are here in Kano. Those structures belongs to businessmen. And now, those structures were demolished without notice, without following the right procedures. This political thuggery. It has never happened in Kano. I absolutely believe Kwankwaso is the backbone to all these unpopular policies. He is the one behind this demolition that is taking place in Kano.
trong>The ongoing demolition of structures linked to the immediate-past administration of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje by his successor, Abba Kabir Yusuf government have been generating controversies. Do you think the controversies are justified?