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2011 and Kano-PDP By Kabiru Tsakuwa The much awaited year 2011 is just around the corner, and several candidates vying for various elective posts in the self acclaimed largest party in Africa-the PDP are busy strategizing in a bid to project their saleable images to the electorates with a view to garnering wider support. Among the candidates who have so far indicates interest to contest for Kano governorship election via the PDP, three names have featured more prominently. There are in addition to those yet to make their intentions known; the former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Mohammed Sani Abacha and honourable Farouk Lawan. While each of the trio has some distinct qualities which set him apart, kwankwaso seem to be enjoying new found sensation among the youth going by the just concluded rallies to all the nook and crannies of Kano state. Ironically the Man that was so much loathed just yesterday by vast majority of kanawa has now metamorphous into a beautiful bride courted by many. And with the death of Muhammad Abubakar Rimi who could have scuttle most of his political permutations, the course to the kano government house as far as he is concern is now apparently very clear. What need to be done is simply to pursue his current crowd pulling escapades with greater vigour. Congratulation, kwankwaso dawo-dawo, to borrow a leaf from his vast spectrum of supporters!! What is however yet to be seen are the strategies he will thenceforth adopt to convince majority of voters who have adamantly remain skeptical. Of course the opposition to his return is no doubt quit formidable. First he had to assuage the hard feelings harboured against him by the shari’a proponents, the civil servants, the pensioners, and the Kano emirate who having suffered a great deal one way or the other during his first tenure might try to exert some pound of flesh. He had to also contend with the threat posed by the incumbency factor of the ruling party; a phenomenon which has been playing very significant roles in this part of the world, in addition to the CPC which is basking under the euphoria of Buhari’s grassroots acceptability. Unlike kwankwaso however, Muhammed abacha is relatively unknown quantity in the murky political terrain of Kano. He therefore has a lot to do in order to march or even surpass his BIGGER rival. His political machinery is not yet fully on the ground, and been not a grassroots politicians; not much is being felt from him down the line so far. But he is said to be enjoying the support of Kano power brokers who consider him as someone more amenable. He is also said to have the support of Abuja politicians whatever that means and might use it to his greatest advantage. The other person vying for Kano government house is honourable Farouk Lawan who has distinguished himself in the art of legislations at the lower chamber of the house to the admiration of many. But so far not much is heard of him since his formal declaration of intent. And unlike the other candidates, it is not known whether his purse is big enough to withstand the rigour of Kano’s highly monetized politics, in addition to his apparent lacked of grassroots appeal. But in fairness to him, any conclusion with regard to his declared intention might just be speculative since proper electioneering campaigns have not yet start let alone party primaries. All in all therefore, the chance of PDP at the poll is predicated on allowing internal democracy to take centre stage. That been the lesson it learnt the hard way. If all the gladiators can compromised their ambitions for the sake of the party’s overall interest, it can make huge impact given the problems besetting the ruling ANPP lately. The PD P can also draw good lesson from the last gubernatorial election in 2007 where it comes close to defeating the incumbent governor at a time when its popularity rating was well at its lowest ebb. Because If it can records that feat under such prevailing circumstances then, it stand to reason that its chances at the poll in 2011 is even more brighter now that the ANPP is suffering from self induced coma owing to attempt by its minders to impose unpopular candidate against the wishes of the rest of the party flag bearers. The PDP can if it so wish capitalizes on this apparent lacuna to spring up surprises. It all boils down to how PDP LEADERSHIP resists temptations to scuttle its own chances it got almost on a platter of gold. It also need not bother much about the CPC which is relatively new and have not yet fully establish its presence in all the four corners of the state, let alone having any significant impact unless if it can run against time. Because like other parties, it too has its own share of internal troubles .Already some factions within the party have evolved and have been at loggerhead with one another as a result of leadership tussle. The buhari factor it purport to counts on as one of its greatest weapons though quit potent no doubt, is no longer pungent enough to cause the Kano-PDP sleepless night given the exigencies of the moment especially after the demise of yaradua and the PSYCHOLOGICAL damage done to him by shekarau in the psyche of Kano electorates over the past seven years. What remains to be seen therefore is whether kwankwaso with his overbearing influence and basking under his new found popularity among the youth can allow internal democracy to thrive. It also remain to be seen whether those aggrieved by his bad conducts as governor of Kano which cut across vast spectrum of Kano society can let bygone be bygone or not! Whatever may be the outcomes of the primaries in all the three contending parties, the fact is 2011 governorship election in Kano state clearly promise to be both interesting and unpredictable, especially with the appointment of a radical intellectual as the new ELECTORAL UMPIRE; whom given his well known pedigree will most likely deploy same to tenaciously to do the right things in a very unusual and very un-Nigerian ways!! |