APC Courtship Falters Over Kwankwaso’s ‘Unrealistic’ Demands

Yesterday, new information surfaced about how the president’s and the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) attempts to reach a political agreement with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, who was previously thought of as Kano’s “beautiful bride” and a potential election-shaping force, ultimately failed.

Courted for the perceived electoral value of his red-cap movement, Kwankwasiyya, the former Kano governor appears to be watching his political allure wane, leaving the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) increasingly isolated and struggling to translate past dominance into present influence.

According to people with knowledge of the negotiations, Kwankwaso and President Bola Tinubu had several meetings over the course of several months, particularly in Abuja.

Given the NNPP’s results in the 2023 general election, it was initially reported that the presidency saw Kwankwaso as a strategic link into Kano and portions of the Northwest.

However, high-ranking APC sources revealed last night that talks collapsed due to what they called unreasonable and excessive demands.

Sources claim that Kwankwaso aimed to gain up to 20% of the APC’s national structure, a vice presidential position, and assurances that would last until the 2031 election cycle.

Senior APC officials stated that when maneuvering ahead of the 2027 elections picked up speed, the requests instantly created concerns.

“Even President Bola Tinubu has not specifically asked for any percentage share of the APC. The demand for 20% of the APC’s national structure was a deal-breaker. Besides, the vice-presidential position was never on the table.

The impeccable source with knowledge of the negotiations said, “It was made clear to him that it was not vacant, and there was no basis for discussions around 2031 at this stage.”

Additionally, the Dr. Boniface Aniebonam bloc of the NNPP disclosed yesterday that Kwankwaso’s purported servile intents and dictatorial manner were the reasons behind Governor Abba Yusuf’s decision to leave the party.

In response to Buba Galadima’s remarks regarding Yusuf’s defection, National Vice Chairman North-west Alhaji Sani Danmasani said in a statement that Kwankwaso’s actions were intolerable, leading Yusuf to look for “greener pastures.”

In the run-up to the deal’s collapse, presidential strategists began to doubt Kwankwaso’s claim to complete control of the state’s political apparatus, despite the fact that the former Kano governor was initially motivated by the APC’s belief that he remained essential to the ruling party’s long-term electoral calculations, particularly in the North-west.

They envisaged that the growing friction between him and Yusuf, as well as signs of uncertainty within the NNPP over the governor’s long-term political future could be exploited.

Given the scope of Kwankwaso’s demands, it was not surprising that talks quickly came to a standstill.

According to senior APC sources, the NNPP leader’s demand for control of 20 per cent of the APC’s national political structure, stunned party leaders and was quickly deemed impractical.

Kwankwaso pushed for the vice presidential position in addition to structural concessions, even though it had already been filled and could not be renegotiated.

Kwankwaso has also publicly confirmed this, saying recently that he would only join or defect to another political party if he was offered either the presidential or vice presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general election.

“He was clearly overreaching,” a top APC chief said.

Those who spoke claimed that Kwankwaso’s apparent emphasis on the long term was even more startling to APC negotiators. Kwankwaso was said to have sought assurances not just for immediate accommodation, but also for influence over the party’s succession plans, with an eye firmly on 2031.

The set of demands implied to the president and APC leaders that a politician was negotiating as a nearly equal partner in a party he did not form, rather than as a potential ally.

When no headway was made, Tinubu, initially open to engaging Kwankwaso as the presumed gatekeeper of Kano politics, then recalibrated his strategy.

Rather than expend political capital trying to woo an opposition leader with expansive demands, the president and APC negotiators were said to have turned their attention to consolidating ties with the Kano governor, betting that incumbency, federal leverage and direct engagement would yield better results than protracted courtship with Kwankwaso.

“That was the pivotal moment. The presidency decided it made more sense to deal with the governor once it became evident that Kwankwaso no longer controlled the entire Kano political space as he claimed, particularly with divisions between him and his former political godson, according to another source.

It was a brilliant move that seemed to have taken away Kwankwaso’s negotiating leverage, which had previously made him appealing. His inability to deliver a unified Kano bloc, combined with what APC leaders described as an inflated sense of indispensability, weakened his negotiating position.

The sources claim that the president and his supporters increased skepticism about Yusuf’s chances of winning a second term in Kwankwaso’s NNPP by positioning the APC as a more reliable and stable platform for him.

NNPP Bloc: Yusuf Was Forced Out Due to Kwankwaso’s “Slavish” Intentions

Meanwhile, the Dr. Boniface Aniebonam-led NNPP has revealed that the decision by Governor Yusuf to leave the party was due to Kwankwaso’s domineering attitude and alleged slavish intentions.

In response to Galadima’s remarks regarding Yusuf’s defection, National Vice Chairman North-West Danmasani stated in a statement that Kwankwaso’s actions were intolerable, leading Yusuf to look for “greener pastures.”

According to the head of the NNPP, Yusuf joined the APC in order to get away from Kwankwaso’s oppressive leadership style rather than out of self-interest. Yusuf was forced to depart after the party accused Kwankwaso of trying to force his will on others.

The NNPP leader described Kwankwaso as the mastermind behind the betrayal, who violated the trust of the party’s founder, Aniebonam. According to the statement, Kwankwaso’s conceit and avarice prevented Yusuf from resolving conflicts within the party, compelling the governor to look for other political refuge.

On Buba Galadima’s interview on Arise News Television, Danmasani added: “The cross over of Yusuf to APC is affecting Galadima and Kwankwaso so much that the bitterness and pain are evident in their speeches.

“Galadima’s experiences traveling by road from Enugu airport to Umuawulu town in Anambra, the hometown of NNPP founder Aniebonam, are striking in the details of his expression during the session on Arise TV.” In order to obtain a political platform for Kwankwaso and those opposing the 2023 general election, he arrived in Anambra by two in the morning to meet Aniebonam.

Interestingly, it was discovered that Yusuf, a major beneficiary of the perilous journey to Umuawulu, had betrayed the NNPP family by joining their adversary, former Kano state governor and APC mainstay Ganduje. Galadima and Kwankwaso, who were accused of betraying trust, were the same individuals that were given free use of the NNPP platform to run for office in 2023.

They were the same individuals who fought to take control of the party Aniebonam founded in 2001 and betrayed him. They are still fighting to hijack the structure of the NNPP without conscience, yet calling Yusuf a betrayer. One starts to question why Kwankwaso and Buba Galadima are protesting and upsetting social harmony as if they are unaware that God behaves differently.”He said.”

The party, therefore, stated that rather than continue to lament over Yusuf, Kwankwaso and his group should seek the face of God and ask for forgiveness from those they betrayed.

Kano Govt: We’ve Reached Understanding on Emirship Tussle

In another development, after almost two years of unresolved crisis over who was the actual Emir of Kano, despite the various legal interventions, the impasse, it learnt, may be ending soon.

The state government confirmed the development yesterday, when it said an understanding had been reached on the matter and a political solution had been deployed instead.

The crisis, which has lingered for nearly two years, has begun to thaw with the state government saying it was ready to deploy a political solution to the emirship tussle. The state government also gave the populace assurances that it would soon find a way to settle the conflict and create a single, legitimate Emir.

Ibrahim Waiya, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, revealed that the state has started procedures to guarantee that a practical solution was used to address the problem.

Since we are now one, the Kano state government has promised to settle the conflict over the Kano Emirate as soon as possible. It is possible that some will step down from the throne on their own, or others will seek reconciliation because a mutual understanding has been reached,” he added.

Alhaji Mustapha Bakwana, Governor Yusuf’s political adviser, confirmed the problem by stating on a local radio program that settling the emirship dispute was essential to the state’s political development.

He noted that the government planned to unify the Kano Emirate under one leader, putting an end to the ongoing tussle.