By Ahmed Mohammed, Yola
I write this piece with a poignant trepidation and the belief that despite the monumental sleaze that APC hoisted in Kano State, it will still maintain a sturdy grip on the seat of power in the state come 2023.
I still recollect with nostalgic feelings how the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje was caught in a sting operation stuffing dollar bribes into his Babbanriga in a very shambolic spectacle that made international headlines and further made Nigeria a laughing stock in the committee of nations.
Discerning minds believe that as the reign of the despicable APC government comes to an end and the expectation that Ganduje will have his day in court to answer the sublime charges of corruption he perpetrated against the good people of Kano, the world was inundated with another gory story archetypal to a fairy tale that the only person with the political muscle to wrest power from the APC and candidate of the PDP, Mohammed Abacha was supplanted. What a misfortune!
With this development, it has become a fait accompli for the APC to win the next gubernatorial seat of the state which means the dream that one day Ganduje will have his day in court after the expiration of his immunity has collapsed like a badly arranged pack of cards.
This also signifies that the era of executive rascality in Kano will continue unabated as the successor of Ganduje who is a renowned poodle will continue to at least protect the interest of his benefactor.
Even as an outsider, I have every cause to grief for the people of the ancient civilization who have to grapple with another four or even eight years of corrupt and inept leadership as it is apparent that the APC will retain power in Kano hook, line and sinker.
How did Kano State with its array of academics and enlightened populace come to this sorry state is itself a subject of deep scrutiny, reflection and introspection.
However, what is very glaring is the fact that the people have allowed some conscienceless and remorseless political buccaneers to take charge of the political space.
These selfish people with a sense of personal entitlements have succeeded in commercializing the political space for their selfish aggrandizement regardless of the consequences of their tracherous enterprise on the good people of Kano.
It beats my imagination that some merchants of doom can contemplate replacing Mohammed Abacha, a grassroot mobilizer, a trail blazer, and a philanthropist par excellence with a political neophyte like Sadiq Wali.
The Abacha family has been known to project the interest of Kano people in multifaceted ways, and being the eldest living son of the family, Mohammed Abacha has even upped the ante of the support which the Abacha family renders to Kano people.
There is general euphoria and esctasy in Kano when Mohammed Abacha was declared the gubernatorial candidate of PDP knowing that the days of APC misrule in the state are numbered.
But some goons in the PDP whose aims are not in tandem with the development of Kano connived to sell the party for a pittance because for them what is important is not what comes to Kano but what goes into their deep pockets.
Many friends I discussed with about the issue simply told me not to lose my sleep as APC will win the next election with no qualms. For me the interpretation of that submission is that APC will simply continue with its misrule in Kano as the PDP has been defeated even before the contest begins.
My friends in Kano told me that unlike Abacha who will naturally give the ruling party a run for its money, with Wali in tow, its already a walkover for the PDP come 2023.
But in the face of this political heist, one question that kept bugging my mind is will Kano people in good conscience allow this travesty to be hoisted on them and continue with the rein of the inept and corrupt APC government? Only time will tell.
Yola, a public affairs commentator writes from Abuja.
