Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) sent shock-waves across the country.
One of the reasons Atiku gave for leaving the APC was that while other parties were trying to get rid of negative practices, the APC “has adopted those same practices and even gone beyond them to institute a regime of a draconian clampdown on all forms of democracy within the party and the government it produced.” There are other party members who may also leave the party for one reason or the other, YUSUF MOHAMMED writes.
Jummai Al-Hassan
There is no hiding the fact that Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Jummai Al-Hassan may be the first to follow Atiku out of the APC. She made her stance known a few months ago when she declared her support for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar even when he had not yet declared his intention to run.
“Atiku is my godfather even before I joined politics. Let me tell you today that if Baba (Buhari) said he is going to contest in 2019, I swear to Allah, I will go before him and kneel and tell him that Baba I am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve your government as a minister, but Baba just like you know, I will support only Atiku because he is my godfather,” she said in an interview.
Al-hassan, who doesn’t mind getting fired by Buhari, said: “If because of what I said, I am sacked, it will not bother me because I believe in Allah that my time has elapsed.”
If she decides to dump the APC today to support her political godfather’s aspiration, many won’t be surprised. It is something that is expected to happen.
Shehu Sani
Sen. Shehu Sani has not been one to shy away from expressing his views about the current administration in his home state. He says it as it is irrespective of whose ox is gored. It is also common knowledge that he is at loggerheads with the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. There are reports that Sani may be interested in becoming Governor of Kaduna in 2019. This would be a tall order if he remains in the APC.
However, a move to the opposition may see him clinch the party’s ticket easily, considering the fact that he has a huge following across the divide in Kaduna.
The Senator representing Kaduna Central is of the view that there is a “circle of power”within the President’s government. He said that with regards to the leaked letter by Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, to President Buhari a few months ago.
The Minister, in the letter had accused the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru of insubordination and humiliation.
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According to the lawmaker, the letter had shown that “there exists a government within the government.” Sani said, “If a minister of state can outrightly say it’s been difficult for him to access channels through which he can present his issues, I think there is a system disconnect there. “And it is simply giving credence to the fact there exists a government within the government. There are individuals that have formed a shield, a cycle. And I think the issue that it raised in every possible way, is pointing to the fact that there is a cycle of powers within powers itself.”
Rabiu Kwankwaso
Former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is also interested in the top job. He has been quiet of recent. Like Sani in Kaduna, Kwankwaso is not in good terms with Gov. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State.
He contested the presidential primaries of the APC in 2014 and came second, behind President Muhammadu Buhari. The Next Edition gathered that he may want to try his luck again in the PDP ahead of 2019. If a heavyweight like Kwankwaso leaves the APC for PDP, it would be a huge blow to the re-election bid of the president.
Kano has the largest population with 44 Local Government Areas. The state came in handy for Buhari in 2015 as he got over one million votes from there with the help of Kwankasiya movement. He used to win in Kano but not as huge as he did in 2015. If Kwankwaso leaves, and doesn’t become candidate, he may join hands with whoever emerges as candidate of the PDP.
Recently, there were reports that Kwankwaso and 10 members of the House of Representatives had left the APC for the PDP. The senator who is representing Kano Central denied the report through his Personal Assistant, Nafiu Umar Dankura. “I want to categorically dispel the rumour and fake news that is circulating in some online media and radio stations that distinguished Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has defected to the PDP. This is not true as we all know he played a key role in the formation of the APC and he is still one of the strong pillars of the party,” Dankura said.
Barely one week after the reports of his defection to the PDP, there was another report that he had asked his followers to dump the APC. They say that there is no smoke without fire. The man with one of the largest political movements (Kwankwasiyya) in the north may just be on his way out of the APC.
Jibrilla Bindow
There were speculations that governor of Adamawa State; Jibrilla Bindow may follow his political godfather, Atiku Abubakar, out of the APC. However, a few days after Atiku’s move, the governor met President Muhammadu Buhari and pledged his allegiance to him.
The Adamawa State governor said that he was one of the founders of the APC and had no reason to leave the party. Addressing State House reporters after meeting with Buhari, Bindow, unlike El-Rufai had kind words for Atiku. He said the former vice president remained his respected father.
He said “First of all, the former VP is more than matured enough to decide whatever he wants to decide for himself. As far as I am concerned, I am one of the founding fathers of APC when I was in the Senate with the current Senate President. We were the ones that worked very hard to ensure all members of the National Assembly …..move to APC and we did. So, I don’t see any reason why the house I helped to build I will leave it, I am in APC for the rest of my life, period!”
Speaking of his relationship with Atiku now that they are no longer in the same party, he said, “Not only Waziri, every elder in Adamawa state as far as I am concerned I regard them as my parent or my father. So, Waziri (Atiku) remains somebody I respect as a father or any other elder in the state.”
Bindow said he” to have been the first governor that had “a very rare opportunity” to endorse Buhari for a second term “because as far as we people of the North East are concerned, we will remain loyal to our President who is highly committed to the fight against insurgency in the North East, we will remain loyal to our President.”
However, investigations revealed that all that was part of the plan and when the time comes, he would join his political godfather in the PDP.
Garba Shehu
Mallam Garba Shehu was Atiku Abubakar’s media adviser for 12 years before he was appointment in 2015 as Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Buhari. He worked closely with Atiku from 2003 to 2015.
The question many are asking is: Would he serve two masters at the same time. Buhari is his boss presently, but Shehu has stated once that Atiku would be his “boss for life.”
He is said to be the brain behind Atiku’s media office, which is one of the best by a Nigerian politician.
Speaking of how he used to run the media team, Shehu once said:” “The media office is hierarchically structured but is operationally run like your regular newsroom. Decisions are made horizontally.
Bukola Saraki
The way Sen. Bukola Saraki became Senate President is still clear in the minds of Nigerians. His political sagacity came to the fore when he maneuvered his way to become the Senate President to the dismay of his party.
He outsmarted members of his party, the APC to become the leader of the upper chamber instead of Lawal, who was the party’s favourite for the job. Many still see the former Kwara State governor as a PDP member at heart because he worked with members of the opposition to achieve his aim of becoming Senate President.
One of the main reasons that it is being speculated Saraki would follow the Turakin of Adamwa out of the APC, is that after his emergence as leader of the senate, the first notable politician he visited was Atiku Abubakar. That move made people think Atiku was in support of Saraki.
He is currently the leader of the legislative arm of government, but it is also believed in some quarters that he may be trying to move up the political ladder by becoming the leader of the executive arm of government. His presidential aspiration is not a secret. Saraki has the ears of most lawmakers so he may see that as an opportunity to run for president under the PDP. If he doesn’t get the ticket, it would still be a huge blow to the APC if they lose the senate president to the main opposition party.
Yakubu Dogara
Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, may leave the ruling party, APC, and return to the main opposition party, PDP.
It would be recalled that Dogara was a member of the defunct new PDP, which later coalesced with other parties to form the APC.
Like Saraki, Dogara’s victory at the lower chamber was controversial. While most members of the APC wanted Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila to be Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara worked with PDP to get himself elected to that position. As a result, he is still being seen as a PDP member. Besides the perception of being a PDP member at heart, it is also believed that he is one of Atiku’s loyalists.
