The lingering internal crisis between the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano state has taken a new dimension as factional leader; Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has been suspended for three months.
Daily Telescope recalled that the PDP in Kano has two warring factions headed by Ambassador Aminu Wali and Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso respectively.
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It would be recalled that the PDP national headquarters had sometimes in December last year, recognized the Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso-led faction of the party in Kano state.
The PDP national leadership, in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja, said the recognition followed the conduct of the party’s congress in the 44 local government areas of the state on December 12, 2020 and that the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is pursuant to its powers under the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended).
However, the Aminu Wali-led faction of the party has announced suspension of the former Kano state Governor, Senator Kwankwaso for allegedly masterminding the crisis that characterized the Northwest Zonal Congress in Kaduna last week.
Kwankwaso, according to the letter dated April 16, 2021 was given 48 hours within which to respond to the query and state why the provision of section 59(1) (2) (3) and (4) would not be applied against him.
The suspension was contained in a query letter issued to the former Kano Central Senator by the party’s factional Secretary, H. A. Tsanyawa.
However, the chairman of the Kwankwaso-led faction of the party, Shehu Wada Sagagi said the suspension was nothing but a child-play, noting that Wali-led faction of the party has no power whatsoever to suspend Kwankwaso.
He regretted that “After all, how can a faction that has not been recognized by the national body of the party can suspend a party member? When we went to the congress, nobody recognizes the Wali-led faction.
“It is also on records that the same faction had one time announced the suspension of Kwankwaso. The question here is when did the faction return him to the party for it to suspend him for the second time?
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“One can clearly understand the issue very well. The Wali-led faction is desperate to embarrass Kwankwaso and tarnish his political image, but forgetting that whoever Allah almighty lift up, no one can bring him down.”
Daily Telescope recalled that the Northwest Zonal Congress of the PDP in Kaduna last Saturday ended in crisis as thugs suspected to be sponsored by Kwankwaso-led faction of the party stormed the venue of the congress, destroying ballot boxes and tearing the ballot papers.
According to the letter Senator Kwankwaso was suspended on a three-count charge “leading his supporters into a shameful and embarrassing act of thuggery of disrupting the democratic process during the PDP Northwest Zonal Convention of April, 10, 2021, held in Kaduna state.
“That you are also charge of abusing our two serving governors; Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto and his Zamfara state counterpart Alhaji Bello Muhammad Matawalle as well as some major Northwest stakeholders of the party present at the convention. That your supporters have destroyed the election materials on your directives and in your presence.”
The letter further indicated that the Executive Council meeting which was held on Thursday April 15th, 2021 had unanimously resolved to suspend Senator Kwankwaso and his supporters for three months in accordance with the provision of section 58(1) of the PDP constitution.
Commenting on the development, one of the party members in Kano, Mustapha Mai Royal said the suspension was in order as according to him it would as deterrent to other members of the party, noting that party members must learnt to respect its elders.
“I personally attended the congress and what I saw Kwankwasiyya followers were doing was highly unfortunate. For the past two years, PDP elders including the two serving governors have been meeting in Kaduna strategising how to move the party forward and Kwankwaso has never attended the meeting, until recently.
“And when he was given a chance to speak, he started castigating Ambassador Aminu Wali. It was at this point that the former Vice President Alhaji Namadi Sambo and Aminu Wali walked out of the meeting before other personalities joined them.”
On his part, Alhaji Alin Jallaba, a die-hard supporter of senator Kwankwaso, said the purported suspension of his political mentor would not stand, as according to him the purported secretary who signed the letter of suspension does not exist.
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“Who is H. A Tsanyawa in the PDP exco? In fact, the group that claimed to have suspended Kwankwaso is not a registered one. Nobody knows the group at both state and national leadership of the party.
“Ambassador Aminu Wali and Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo are serving the interest of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) not PDP. Wali, for instance secured commissionership appointment for his son Sadiq in APC government in Kano and Senator Gwarzo also secured appointments for his daughter and his aid in the same government. So, how can these two people claimed to be representatives of PDP in Kano?”
