Nigeria: Unending Crisis May Tear PDP Apart, Former Kano Governor Kwankwaso Says

The former governor of Kano State and a chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, on Friday said the unending crisis rocking the PDP had weakened it as an opposition and may eventually tear the party apart.

Justice O. Gbasam of the Degema Judicial Division vacation court, Rivers State had, few days back, granted an interim injunction restraining Secondus from parading himself as chairman and member of the PDP, sequel to the consideration of an ex parte application filed by two members of the party against Secondus and the PDP.

But last Thursday, Justice Nusirat Umar of the Kebbi State High Court ordered Secondus to return to his position, saying she was satisfied after reading the affidavit of the respondents that an interim order should be granted on the purported suspension of Secondus pending the determination of the case.

Based on the favourable court ruling, Secondus resumed on August 27, only for another court in Calabar, Cross River State, to restrain him from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.

Kwankwaso, who spoke on the PDP crisis yesterday in an interview with BBC Hausa, said the crisis “is heightened by those who are after leadership of the party.”

He added: “Now, the strength of the party has reduced, and in the end, what will happen is that it will tear us apart.

“You see, the result will not help us, since we do not have a president and we do not have many governors.

“People like me have nothing to do with the crisis. I’m after what will bring development to people; every good leader should focus on that.

“The party chairman has only one month left. I think it’s better to wait so that we can emerge stronger.

“But the crisis is heightened by those who are after leadership. They are not doing it for the betterment of their people.”

The opposition party has lost several key members to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a result of its internal crisis.

Uche Secondus, the embattled National Chairman of the PDP, has been under increased pressure to resign from office.

Following the court ruling in Calabar restraining him from parading himself as the national chairman of the party PDP’s national working committee (NWC) named Akinwonmi, the National Deputy Chairman (South), as the acting chairman.

Kwankwaso also spoke of his recent encounter with his successor in Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The former governor said he had spent hours in the departure hall when he received information that Ganduje was also on his way to the airport.

“I said it’s okay, God has brought us all together. The place is like a park or station. Nobody can ask someone to come or not to. So he came and we greeted each other.

“We boarded the same plane and landed at the Kano Airport. I sat on the front seat, so I came out first. I greeted his people and made my way, while he too took his own way home,” Kwankwaso said.

Bennett Oghifo

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