By Suleiman Umaru
When Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso, a former governor of Kano state, and a Chieftain of the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP,led National Movement, scribed as the ‘’Third Force Movement’’, entered into a working relationship with a relatively unknown party, New Nigerian People’s Party, NNPP, that was said to have been floated by Bonniface Anniebonam, a Lagos based Clearing Agent, and founder National Association of government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAF in 2001, there was mixed reaction in political circles.
There were those who fear that he has entered into political irrelevance by entering into working elationship with the unknown party but the former Kano state governor thinks differently. But many believe that it would change the political narrative of north western geopolitical region in the 2023 general elections.
They see the 2023 general elections for control of Kano state as a battle for supremacy between the trio, President Muhammadu Buhari, Abdullahi Gandunje of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, governor of the state and Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso, a former governor of the state, who had now introduced NNPP, to the state.
TIn 2019, Kwankwaso had tried install a PDP, governor in the state , for an election that hat was said dragged on for days but failed to do so. Gandunje, the incumbent governor was able to maneuver his way back to office with the support of the Federal might.
He may have adopted the NNPP, which is not as popular as the two dominant parties, APC and PDP, in the state to prove a point that he is still a force to be reckoned with in Kano politics. He was said moved into NNPP, along with some political heavy weights in the northwest geopolitical region. One of them is Rufai Ahmed Alkali, a Professor of Political Economy and the National Chairman of the party.
Between March, 2022, that the former Kano state governor and his loyalists joined the NNPP and now, the party rating in the northwest have gone up that the APC and PDP, gladiators, in the region, are jittery that it might take over control of the region in the 2023 general elections. The former Kano state governor may not want history to repeat itself in it the state in 2023, where he was unable to install his Candidate as the governor of the state in 2019. The leadership of NNPP, at the state and Federal levels, may have done their homework to ensure that the two dominant parties will not take advantage of their spread to intimidate the voters to abandon the NNPP, in 2023, by stepping up their house to house mobilization effort.
This is evident going by the mass defections of PDP and APC, state Legislators in the state House of Assembly to the NNPP to join kwankwanso. At the last count nine members of the state House of Assembly elected in the ticket of the Opposition PDP, have decamped to the Kwankwanso’s new party in the state. Although, the nine PDP state Legislators had cited the Leadership tussle in the party both at state and Federal levels to have contributed to their defection to the NNPP but that may not be the only reason.
Many believe that the defection of the former Kano state governor, Kwankwanso, from the PDP to the NNPP, had triggered the mass defection from the two dominant political parties in Kano state, particular, to the NNPP, which is gaining more ground in the entire north west geo-political region.
More worrisome to the political gladiators including Gandunje, the APC, governor of the state, was the recent defection of three Legislators elected on the ticket of the party to the NNPP.
What is going in Kano state, may not be different from what is going in Jigawa, Zamfara , and Katsina, Buhari home state, where some big wigs were said to have joined the party.The situation is so frustrating that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State and now he Senate Chief Whip, has warned the ruling APC, against’’ underrating the recent defections of some high profile politicians from the north west to the NNPP’’.
Appealing to Senator Abdullahi Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa and National Chairman of the APC, and his National orking Committee, NWC, members, to take a keen look at the current cross carpeting exercises taking place in the north west. He fears that with the mass mobilization of the NNPP in the region , it might spread to other regions of the north.
As a prelude to ensuring that Kankwanso becomes the next President of Federal Republic of Niigeria, after Buhari in 2023, and that the NNPP, will take over control of the entire north west geo-political region in the 2023, general elections, Anniebonam, founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, and a key actor in NNPP, had said that that the Association will mobilise ten million Nigerians with its numerical strength of five thousand members across the country to support Kwankwaso, the party Presidential Candidate in the 2023, general elections.
NAGAFF may have thrown its weight behind the former Kano state governor and the NNPP, Presidential Candidate, in the 2023, general elections ‘’to change the political narrative of the country’’. Informed sources told Value News that while the APC and the PDP, which have been alternating in ruling the country since the return of democracy in 1999, the NNPP, have not settled the issue of who becomes their Presidential Candidate, as Kwankwanso, was said to have have beaten his two other Competitors in NNPP, to clinch the party Presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections. It is not surprising why the NAGAFF members, have embarked on a house to house mobilization of support for him across the country .
The NAGAFF Integrated Services Limited, according to an insider was said to have been mandated ‘’to establish a Trust Fund platform for all members, Clients and allies to contribute funds’’ needed to prosecute he 2023, general elections.
The Leadership of NAGAFF, may have taken the bold initiative to support Kwankwaso, who they believe if he wins the 2023, Presidential election , would give them a say in the government to be able ’’to address the avoidable Corruption at the nation’s seaports, airports and land border areas across the country and revive their businesses which had suffered under the the Buhari Administration because of the closure of the land borders with Republic of Benin, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon, in August 2019.
A top official of the Association who spoke to the Magazine disclosed that the members are determined to put in their time and money to ensure that the former PDP governor of Kano state and the party 2023 Presidential candidate wins the the 2023, Presidential race to give the Association a say on who occupies the strategic ministries and and paratatals overseeing the sea ports, airports, ports Administrations and Management, Finance, Trade and Investment ministries, to avoid a repeat of what had happened over the last seven years which had put the country where it is today.
