Kano in Focus: Will Buhari's Integrity Survive APC beyond 2023?
The few days have been quite intriguing. PDP maintained it strongholds in South South and South East. PDP states voted the worst thieves and roughs. With the desperation they depicted, PDP bought over Federal institutions, emptied State treasuries, compromised security and INEC, engaged in killings, vote buying, ballot box snatching, burning of houses, burning of INEC offices, and other forms of electoral crimes to maintain their strongholds. It was very easy to manipulate elections in PDP states than it was to rig elections in APC state. click here http://www.smyleworldinfotech.blogspot.com/Kano in Focus: Will Buhari's Integrity Survive APC beyond 2023?
The Buhari campaign slogan placed integrity as the bench mark for any victory in elections. The North bought into the Buhari ideology and are fully disposed to send criminals out of power.
For those misinterpreting the rejection of Ganduje as the rejection of APC in Kano, let me tell you that with or without Ganduje, Kano remains an APC State. Kano voted massively for Buhari, even supporters of Kwankwaso voted for Buhari. In the just concluded Gubernatorial and houses of Assembly Elections, APC won all the 3 senatorial seats, all the Federal House of Reps seats and more than 2/3 majority of State Houses of Assembly seats. Local Government Chairmen and Councillors in Kano are all APC.
The problem of Ganduje is purely one of disenchantment over corruption changes after the video scandal that saw Ganduje giving bribes. It is worthy of note that those who began investigation and the politics that led to an almost defeat of Ganduje are APC State Houses of Assembly members. No PDP State House of Assembly can dare that, in their characteristic nature PDP go out to protect and defend thieves amongst their fold. PDP State Houses of Assembly are rubber stamp, recall Speaker of Ekiti State was always seen kneeling before Fayose
No particular individual can determine Kano political space, only integrity can sway the Kano votes. For historical purposes and to buttress my point, in the first term of Kwankwaso as Governor, he got arrogant and the people immediately rejected him and replaced him with Shekarau. Shekarau made same mistakes and he was abandoned to be replaced with the return of Kwankwaso. Kwankwaso in his second term was good, but wanted to impose a candidate and his candidate was rejected and Ganduje was anointed to embarrass Kwankwaso
Today Ganduje has messed up, it will take the special grace of God for him to be forgiven. No single individual can assuage the people of Kano to forgive Ganduje, only Buhari can do that because of the cult loyalty he enjoys in Kano. In all his elections, Buhari has won Kano and Kano people can't resist what he tells them to do.
The electorate in Kano State isolated Gov Ganduje for punishment because of a leaked bribery video after they voted APC mostly, to the National & State Assemblies; But in CRS, a governor was rewarded with another term in office despite proof that he has already mortgaged the state. A recent document showed that the Cross River State Governor awarded a contract of N648.8Billion to his own company and requested that the state should be paying him N300million monthly for a period of 180years on a project that can never be done in 10years, let alone 4years. Also in Delta, James Ibori an ex convict is the political godfather and king maker. In Enugu PDP is like a cult with Ike Ekeremadu known for numerous allegations bothering on corruption in foreign assets as the king maker.
While PDP in South South and South East build electoral victory on corruption and sharing of loots through vote buying and rigging, the APC dominated States of North and South West are building on performance and integrity as a point of political acceptability
If APC allow for the capture of most of their States by insistence on integrity, by 2023, no politician or supporters will remember what integrity is. The captured States of PDP will send us back to the dark day of corruption and impunity. Integrity will be packed in boxes heading to Daura after the end of Buhari second tenure.
The best chance for APC against 2023 is to forgive Ganduje and consolidate Kano on our stronghold with heavy votes. On the other hand Buhari and APC National party structure must develop a platform to checkmate corruption of all Governor especially those in APC. There are many corrupt APC Governors whose excesses must be checked to align with the Buhari anti corruption drive
PDP might not have won the presidency but they are smart, losing Kano to PDP will give back what they have lost and pave way for the return of corruption. If Kano was a PDP State, PDP will kill anyone who stands on their way to take it from them, because if PDP wins Kano today, they will get stronger and can easily manufacture 5 million votes overnight to rig any presidential election in their favour.
APC must look beyond Buhari and his integrity. It took us lots to defeat Atiku even when Nigerians know him as highly corrupt. I have great fears that if we don't rise to be more political than too holy, APC may end with Buhari's second term in office. Most annoyingly, the sins of most voted Governors of PDP in South South and South Eastern States are worst than those of Ganduje. If you are in doubt just take a deep look at the excesses of the PDP sanctimonious Wike or Fayose, then you will see the face of everything called corruption in Wike and Fayose.
Kano people listens to Buhari, for political reasons and for total defeat of corruption, Buhari need to make some concessions. It is imperative for Buhari to move beyond integrity to save Kano from being taken over by PDP
Joseph Odok PhD Esq
Director Media and Strategic Communication COBOM
Source:
Smyleworld Info-tech
