By Abba Hamisu Sani
Africa-Press – Nigeria. Presently no Nigerian Politician can rob shoulders with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s interns of strategy and doggedness as the man has been controlling the politics of Lagos for 24 years despite being in opposition to the Central Government under the People’s Democratic Party from 1999 to 2015.
Tinubu has been widely perceived as the godfather of Lagos politics as he controls the political atmosphere of Nigeria’s mega State and commercial center of the country years after leaving office as the governor of the state.
He was elected to be the governor of Lagos State in 1999 under the Alliance for Democracy AD and was re-elected in 2003 at the time that the ruling PDP won the gubernatorial elections in other AD states in the southwest which made Lagos the only state under AD that hitherto considered as the Southwest regional Political Party.
Tinubu’s crisis with then President Olusegun Obasanjo was seen as a single act of boldness as the governor of Lagos, especially over the creation of additional local government area councils.
The Formation of Action Congress -AC
In 2007 Tinubu formed a new Party Action Congress under which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar contested the Presidential election when he left the ruling party as a result of misunderstanding with his Principal President Obasanjo and his inability to secure the PDP Presidential ticket.
In Lagos State AC won the gubernatorial election as one of the political mentees of Tinubu Baba Raji Fashola emerged as the governor.
Tinubu’s political dynasty maintained control of Lagos politics and by extension the southwest up to the time he formed a political alliance with former President Muhammadu Buhari who had been contesting the Presidential election since 2003 under the defunct All Nigerians People’s Party ANPP and Congress For Progressives Change- CPC in 2011.
The merger between Tinubu’s ACN, the CPC of Buhari, and some factional members of the PDP and APGA led to the defeat of the PDP’s government under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Kwankwaso’s Political movement and Kano politics
Kwankwaso is considered to be the main pillar in Kano politics as he commands large followership.
Kano has different Political camps which include that of the former Kano State governor and the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party in the 2023 election Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the immediate past governor of Kano State and the national chairman of the ruling APC Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
Other camps are that of former Kano governor Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and that of Ambassador Aminu Wali.
Senator Kwankwaso is seen to be a more relevant figure in Kano politically than the other politicians.
He was the Kano state governor from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015. Unlike Tinubu in Lagos who ruled the state Street for eight years. Kwankwaso failed to secure his second term in 2003 due to a political crisis with the political leaders of the state and then the political wave of former President Buhari when he joined politics newly under ANPP.
Shekarau was the candidate of Buhari’s party that enjoyed unprecedented support in Kano. He ruled Kano for two street terms from 2003 to 2011 by defeating Kwankwaso.
Eight years later Kwankwaso bounced back strongly to defeat the ruling ANPP in 2011. This time around the politician who formed his movement known as Kwankwasiyya initiated mass people-oriented projects and programs that made him popular not only in Kano but across the northern region.
The programs include providing mass scholarships to Kano indigenes to study both abroad and in Nigerian Universities, Women empowerment, road projects, construction of bridges, flyovers, underpasses, and mass housing projects in different locations.
His alliance with Buhari in 2015 added to his popularity but he subsequently contested against Buhari during the 2014 APC Presidential Primary elections which he failed.
Kwankwaso’s former Deputy and his Preferred gubernatorial Candidate Abdullahi Umar Ganduje won the state governorship poll in 2015.
But in less than one year the relationship between two Political allies turned to rivalry.It all started when Senator Kwankwaso paid a condolence visit to Governor Ganduje over the death of his mother.
The event was said to be turned into a political rally by Kwankwaso’s supporters.
This situation created so much tension between the long-time political associates.
2023 and the reemergence of Kwankwaso’s political influence in Kano.
Not only in 2023 but even in 2019 Kwankwaso’s political influence was visible in Kano as his candidate Abba Kabir Yusuf pulled a large vote during the 2019 gubernatorial election under PDP which necessitated the conduct of a second round of election after declaring the first round as inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
In 2023 Kwankwaso’s candidate Abba Yusuf under the New Nigeria People’s Party defeated the ruling APC Candidate Nasiru Gawuna, Ganduje’s Deputy by a large margin.
A few months after the emergency of Kwankwaso’s candidate as governor, the Election Petition Tribunal in Kano nullified the election, Abba Yusuf appealed the judgment but still failed at the appellate court but he finally won at the Supreme Court.
The success of the NNPP governor at the Supreme Court opened a new chapter in Kano politics as Kwankwaso’s position as Kano Political leader was reaffirmed.
Kwankwaso needs to learn from Tinubu’s years of experience as Lagos’s political gladiator
For Kwankwaso to maintain his relevance in Kano and National politics, he needs to learn from Tinubu’s political strategies that keep him going up to his final destination, the Presidency.
Dr . Victor Great is a political strategist. He said Tinubu’s Political strategists are extraordinary as he patiently waits for the right time and the right people for political alliance.
His doggedness is one of the lessons that Senator Kwankwaso should learn for him to reach his full political potential.
The Political scientist added that even the way Tinubu identified Buhari as the right allie in 2015 is a big lesson for Nigerian politicians and the upcoming leaders in the country
“Kwankwaso has the followership in some northern states but his votes during the 2023 Presidential elections indicated that he can only win election in his home state which stands as his political base,” he said
Dr. Victor advised Kwankwaso to surround himself with strategic people from all parts of Nigeria or enter into an alliance with another candidate like Peter Obi who had more votes in the last election.
Obi emerged third by winning some northern states like Nasarawa and Federal Capital Territory which should be won by Kwankwaso ordinarily.
What Kwankwaso should learn from Tinubu
Nasir Umar who is a political analyst with years of experience as an election observer in different parts of Africa said that for Kwankwaso to extend his politics beyond Kano and northern Nigeria he needs to believe that he alone can not do it.
“From the formation of his campaign council tram towards the 2023 Presidential election I observe many shortcomings, look at how Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi appoint experts such as Media professionals, lawyers, entertainers, and other influencers into their campaign team but Kwankwaso restricted himself to the people like Buba Galadima, the same people that fool Buhari previously before he met real politicians like Tinubu and Amaechi to shape his methodology,” Umar said
The analyst added that Kwankwaso is a patriotic politician who can handle Nigeria, especially at this time when the country needs politicians with people-oriented programs and initiatives looking at what the man exhibited as the governor of Kano State.
He is lucky that Kano is a mini Nigeria with all the ethnic groups as residents, he can utilize them in spreading the message of his good policies when he was the governor of the state, and now that his Political Party NNPP is also ruling the state.
He advised Kwankwaso to learn extensively from Tinubu’s school of thought which paved the way for his success in one attempt, unlike his counterparts who contested severally before winning or still hoping to win.
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