One thing the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) desires is to stage a return to power come 2023 when the next rounds of elections are scheduled to hold to choose a new leader for the country.
For over sixteen years from 1999 to 2019, PDP held sway as the dominant party in the nation’s political landscape that many thought it would be very difficult if not impossible for any opposition party to dislodge it from power.
So overbearing was the presence of the PDP that many political watchers declared it a behemoth with its overbearing presence in all the nooks and crannies of the country but that bubble got burst in 2015 when the hitherto unknown political amalgam, the All Progressives Congress (APC) up staged it from power.
With few months left for the forthcoming presidential poll, many political watchers have argued that the only way the PDP can stage a return to power was to field a formidable personality like former Kano State Governor and minister, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as its candidate.
Those who hold this view premise their argument on the near cult-like following that the former federal lawmaker enjoys in a key critical voting segment of the country, which is the NorthWest.
No doubt, the image and reputation of Kwankwaso in this region is beyond the ordinary and can be likened to what President Buhari enjoyed in the Northern part of the country prior to the 2015 poll.
To the peasants in the region, Kwankwaso who is fondly referred to as ‘Madugu’ is the ‘Jagoran Talakawa’, whose philosophy and actions are tailored towards alleviating the sufferings of the masses and to make life more meaningful and worthwhile to them.
Within and outside government, he has demonstrated his passion for the egalitarianism of the masses beyond doubt and this fact has no doubt endeared him to the downtrodden who will always cast their lots with him any day in any given electoral contest.
Using the platform of the Kwankwassiya Movement, the former minister has not only pursued the common good of the people whom the almighty Allah has placed in his trust.
For instance, his commitment with the people has never changed since he left office, a development that has seen him providing opportunities for the children of commoners not only in Kano but across the country to achieve educational and vocational advancement.
Many of those who have been privileged to be sponsored for educational and career advancement have in the last few years become very useful citizens of the country having achieved the requisite educational and vocational training.
This fact has set him apart from others because he has demonstrated his love for the people in no small measure but rather than the leaders in the PDP see the Kano tactician as a plus for the party, he (Kwankwaso) has become an object of hate and envy by them.
His rising and cult like profile has become so intimidating to them that the only way they (the leaders) believe Kwakwanso can be caged is to support a candidate of lesser value who would only be in the electoral contest for fancy and not to win.
These leaders demonstrated this unbridled envy recently at the zonal congresses of the party held in Kaduna when they threw their weight behind a candidate whom they believe would do their bidding against Kwakwanso when the chips are down. It is a well known fact that those threw up at the congress were double face politicians as the Northwest leaders of the PDP also those who are somewhat sympathetic to the ruling APC.
In all this, the national body cannot be completely exonerated from the deliberate gang up against Sen. Kwankwaso.Then national body always look away from the happenings in the zone against Kwankwaso.
It is becoming very clear that these elements are rooting for the emergence of Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto who by all intent and purposes is no match for the character and charisma of Kwankwaso if the party is determined to wrest power from the APC come 2023.
Kwakwanso has been a loyal and trusted member of the PDP to be rewarded with the presidential ticket of the party but regrettably, some elements within the party have some other ideas which are likely to backfire on the party come 2023.
Though very much qualified to contest, Tambuwal has very little chance of upturning the apple cart against the APC owing to so many minuses that have continued to do this.
Clearly, he is considered as a green horn in Nigeria’s political filament compared to the Kano State born politician. A Tambuwal ticket in the PDP would cause so much voter apathy that PDP won’t be able to muster the right momentum to dislodge the APC from power.
This kind of momentum, such as the one akin to the 2015 Buhari scenario is what the PDP needs and not a fancy contest that the APC will overrun.
From the above shenanigans, it’s unlikely if Sen Kwankwaso would stomach all the deliberate actions against him by the leaders and remain in PDP except if the leaders change their attitudes towards him.