In a scathing attack that would certainly reopen healing wounds between the pair, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has gone on the offensive describing his erstwhile boss, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as one “blind illiterate” who lobbied President Bola Tinubu to appoint him as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Ganduje stated this on Monday while playing host to some political associates and loyalists from Kano State at the APC national headquarters in Abuja.
The pair fell out when Ganduje who was a long-time associate and Deputy Governor to Kwankwaso when he was Kano State Governor became Governor and refused to take orders from his former boss.
The irreparable political damage between them led to collateral damages including the removal of Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who ascended the throne when Kwankwaso was governor and Ganduje his deputy.
Sanusi had deferred his loyalty to Kwankwaso in defiance to Ganduje who was governor, and could not stomach what he described as disloyalty and association with an enemy.
Ganduje eventually broke the Kano emirate and banished Sanusi.
While Kwankwaso worked tirelessly to take control of Kano APC, Ganduje used his powers as a sitting Governor to have the final say thus forcing Kwankwaso to defect to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in search of a presidential ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
Sensing he would not clinch the ticket of the PDP, he moved to the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, where he was adopted and became the presidential candidate.
Although he came a distant fourth in the election, his NNPP won the governorship election in the state, and some national assembly seats in addition to controlling the state legislature.
The former Defence Minister moved quickly to undercut Ganduje’s powers again in the APC while still maintaining a firm grip on the NNPP by courting Tinubu whom he met on several occasions after Tinubu had emerged as the president-elect.
He came close to having one of his political goddaughters appointed a minister but failed in the last minutes when her name was withdrawn and replaced by a nominee anointed by Ganduje.
Ganduje has now revealed that all Kwankwaso wanted was to be appointed the FCT Minister.
Speaking in the two-minute, 28-second video, Ganduje stated that despite the demolition exercise being embarked upon by his successor, Abba Yusuf, Kwankwaso’s political godson, they do not know the Kano State master plan.
“Is it not the FCT Minister position that he wanted?” Ganduje asked mockingly as he looked across those in the hall.
“That was why he demolished buildings in Kano under the guise that he wanted to defend the master plan. If you ask him what the master plan is, he can’t tell you.
“All you will hear is, ‘We will reset the Kano master plan. We have promised the Kano people that we will demolish houses even if they are 1,000-storey buildings.'”
Ganduje who was putting on a grey native attire with a green cap of the APC added; “Look, if an illiterate person does not know he is one, he is certainly blind. That is what befell him,” Ganduje said.
The viral video has since stirred up conversation on social media
Both Kwankwaso and the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Major Agbo, could not be reached for comments.
A close aide of Kwankwaso, Mustafa Alkassim did not respond to calls for comments.
