A former three-time Commissioner for Rural and Community Development in Kano, Musa Ilyasu Kwankwaso, has called on northern leaders to rally support for president Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his efforts to return the country to glory.
He condemned the recent protest by some northern groups against the Minister of State for Defense, Dr. Bello Matawalle, describing it as negative antics, targeted at president Bola Tinubu, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and other leading politicians of the ruling party.
He said those insulting the leadership of the country are doing disservice to the nation and misleading the public.
Dr.Kwankwaso spoke on Sunday in an interview with journalists in Kano.
He said some politicians who’re now criticizing the government were alife but kept quiet during the misrule of ex-president Muhammadu Buhari.
He appealed to the elders in the North in particular to be focussed and work hand in hand with the governors of the region to bring dividends of democracy to the region as president Tinubu is there to support their efforts.
“Within the last one year of being in office he has achieved a lot but the mischievous people attacking him chose to close their eyes against the achievements” he stated.
He said some northern leaders are criticizing Tinubu because power has shifted to the south.
He said the Tinubu they’re insulting is the same man who supported Buhari for eight years.
According to him,”There were agreements in the past that led to the merger that founded the ruling APC as a strong political party in the country that began with the emergence of President Buhari,” he said.
He stressed that the same agreement led to the emergence of Tinubu as president and he fulfilled his part of the agreement satisfactorily.
Kwankwaso disclosed that those behind the protests are the same people that slipped out of the earlier agreements and are now trying to follow channels to bring the president and his men down.
“Tinubu is working hard towards seeing the end of insecurity in the region and the results can be seen in the fact that people can now travel freely between Abuja and Kaduna without fear of being attacked as it was before.
“We were praying for him to succeed as well to get second term in office , just as our own northerner, Buhar ruled the country for good eight years, ” he said.
He said Instead
of engaging in mischievous and unproductive protests, they should support the Tinubu administration in bringing the dividend of democracy to the region.
“They should come out and call for the completion of the Abuja – Kaduna – Kano road, Abuja – Kano – Niger rail line, AKK Gas pipelines, Mambila Power project, Bauchi/Gombe oil exploration and many others. Tinubu is ready to do all these and many others to the North.
“Get your Governors together and go for the development and progress of the region” he appealed.
On the issue of Kano politics, he revealed that there was a last minute agreement that led to the declaration of Abba Yusuf as the state governor by the Supreme Court which they agreed to and are going to fulfil.
“They accepted to join the APC at the last minute and all arrangements, including power sharing in the state and the party were made at that last minute.
He said,
“They agreed to it behind their boss(Rabiu Kwankwaso)for which he was not happy but had no choice even as he later gave some conditions which might not necessarily be agreed to.
“Now that they are yet to fulfil the conditions given them, they have asked for additional time, about five months, to complete the arrangements and come and join the APC.
“We loyalists members of APC, we’re not against any opposition party members defecting to our party ,all are welcome to the canopy of a bigger party in Africa, so far they are ready to contribute their positive quota to the development of the party.”