Kano and Sokoto states: A comparative discourse

It is no more news that governors Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko are among the seven governors at loggerheads with their party the PDP and by extension the happenings in the Presidency. As series of efforts by the party elders to reconcile both sides prove abortive, persecution, intimidation and blackmail of the seven […]

It is no more news that governors Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko are among the seven governors at loggerheads with their party the PDP and by extension the happenings in the Presidency. As series of efforts by the party elders to reconcile both sides prove abortive, persecution, intimidation and blackmail of the seven follow.  
Governor Kwankwaso was first sworn in as Governor of Kano state on May 29th 1999. By then, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko also took the oath of office as deputy to Attahiru Bafarawa in Sokoto state. Kwankwaso’s second term bid as governor was truncated by the victory of his former Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau of the then ANPP in 2003. In Sokoto, Wamakko by then continued as deputy to Bafarawa for the second term who, somewhere before the end of the journey to 2007 resigned. Shekarau won his second term bid in 2007 while in Sokoto, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko captured the gubernatorial seat under the PDP, defeating Bafarawa’s anointed candidate Muhammadu Maigari Din-gyadi of DPP in 2007. On the other hand, Shekarau ended his second term as Kano state governor in 2011 under ANPP, but his anointed candidate Salihu Sagir Takai could not make it to the Kano government house as he was defeated by Kwankwaso of the PDP hence, his return to the seat for the second time.
Wamakko is ending his second term in office in May 2015; likewise his counterpart Kwankwaso of Kano state.
Former governors Bafa-rawa and Shekarau were all presidential candidates at different times in the current political dispensation. They are currently, stalwarts of the All Progressives Party (APC) in their respective states. Going by the current political quagmire in the PDP as well as the alleged intimidation of the G-7 governors by the forces at the centre, it is no surprise that of the seven, Wamakko and Kwankwaso would join the APC train. The APC chieftains in Kano and Sokoto states, Shekarau and Bafarawa fear that the entrance of their governors would likely lead to the hijack of the party by virtue of the influence of their current positions. The two party chieftains insist that the new members must follow the due process in the party by registering at their respective wards before they could pitch their tents. In any case, moves by the G7 governors, specifically the two of the seven in this case is sparking up high level of politicking and rivalry between the sides of Kwankwasos and Shekaraus in Kano as well as the Wamakkos and Bafarawas in Sokoto.
Reasons for the rivalry, according to political analysts are simple. Shekarau was a Permanent Secretary during Kwankwaso’s first term as governor when he was said to be redeployed (or rather demoted) to a classroom teacher by the governor. He then resigned and contested under ANPP against the governor in 2003 and won. As revenge, when Shekarau emerged as governor, he embarked on bitter investigation against Kwankwaso and his administration, the act was said to humiliate and stripped him of his political assets and personal freedom. Similarly, Wamakko who was deputy to Bafarawa was said to have endured series of persecution and frustration of his boss and later resigned to avoid impeachment purpor-tedly incited by the Bafarawa to remove him. He contested under the PDP against the Bafarawa’s candidate and won in 2007. On his part, in retaliation to that, media reports indicated that one of the major vengeances by Wamakko was the removal of the kinship of Sarkin gabas in the Bafarawa’s dynasty after the death of the former governor’s father in April, 2009.
Similarities between politi-cal pattern of Kano and Sokoto electorates are that, both exhibit politics of sympathy in their voting procedure. This is because, in 1999, Attahiru Bafarawa seemingly got the sympathy votes from Sakkwatawa when he lost majority of his ANPP stalwarts who left the party some days or weeks to the voting day. Likewise, in 2003, Shekarau defeated his boss at the poll simply due to the sympathy he derived from the Kanawa as a result of his demotion among other things from Permsec to classroom teacher.
In Sokoto again, Wamakko enjoyed the sympathy of Sokoto people when, going by his predicaments during his days as Deputy Governor, contested against the party of his former boss (the DPP) and emerged as governor in 2007.
Besides these circums-tantial voting situations, the two states contrast sharply. Kano people seem to be more principled in their politicking (specifically voting with conscience). They seem to imbibe the political ideology of the famous elder statesman in the state late Malam Aminu Kano. Sokoto electorates are different. Perhaps the current generation is not copying the political ideology of the famous elder statesman Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto who was a contemporary of Malam Aminu Kano. How-ever, with more enlightenment from relevant sources, it seems things are changing for the better.
In the political imbroglio inherent in the two states affecting the political heavy-weights, particularly the G7 governors, this affects every citizen of both states and the Nigerian polity as a whole. Every decision to be taken by the governors on whether or not to dump their party and opt for another, significantly affects their subjects. The political rivalry existing among the major political actors in their respective states also affects the governance of the states as well as their people. They should note that after all the hullabaloos which characterised the power tussles, they are eventually falling back home as birds of the same feather. The governors should try to mend fences with their political rivals in their respective homes so that together, they could join forces to face a common front if at all they have the interest of their subjects at heart. There is no doubt that reasons given by the G7 governors over their grievances with the happenings in the PDP-led government at the centre can hold water. Such are the feelings and predictions of many Nigerians who desired for alternative to the party in 2011 but the influence of the governors which bred division of the votes in favour of the PDP thwarted the move. It is not late. Corrections can still be made through proper consultations as we progress to the 2015. On their part, the masses should try to consider the current situation and support their leaders especially if they eventually opted out of the current wagon where only one major actor is seen to be superior to all.

Sajo wrote from Sanyinna, Tambu-wal Local government, Sototo State, <[email protected]>;