By Hafsat Bello Bahara
Former Kano State governor and National Leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said any consideration to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) must be based on clear assurances regarding the future of the Kano State government and the welfare of his supporters.
Kwankwaso stated this on Wednesday at his Miller Road residence in Kano while meeting with NNPP leaders and supporters from Rano and Dawakin Tofa Local Government Areas of the State, alongside other Kwankwasiyya groups who reaffirmed their loyalty to the NNPP.
Addressing the gathering, Kwankwaso said defection from one political party to another must be carefully planned and backed by firm guarantees.
“You don’t leave a party without getting your people ready, and you need to be ready for the people you will meet when you get there. You don’t just wake up one day and say you are leaving,” he said.
The former governor clarified that he had not completely ruled out joining the APC but insisted that critical issues must first be resolved.
“I didn’t say I won’t join APC, but we must first be clearly assured of the future of the Kano State government before we join the APC. What will be the fate of our lawmakers and other supporters before we agree to defect?” he asked.
Kwankwaso also recalled past political experiences where his faction helped to form governments but was later sidelined.
“In the past, we joined and contributed to forming the government, but later we were abandoned. That was why we left the party. Have they now changed their position towards us? Everyone knows the role we played at that time,” he said.
He further stressed the need for clarity on his own position and the continuity of the Kwankwasiyya political structure.
“If I join, they must tell me what my position in the party will be. Up till now, no one has given me a clear assurance that we will be allowed to retain our government and continue with our political structure. I need to know where I stand,” Kwankwaso added.
