The former deputy governor of Kano state during Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s first tenure, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar has dumped the governor for his arch rival in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau.
Prof. Abubakar was the Ganduje’s deputy from 2015 to 2018, but at the build-up to 2019 elections, he dumped the governor to contest for governorship under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by former governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso.
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Surprised by choosing Abba Kabir Yusuf as the PDP candidate by Kwankwaso, Prof. Abubakar also dumped the PDP for People’s Redemption Party, PRP to contest his governorship.
Again, after loosing the candidature to Salihu Sagir Takai in PRP in the 2019 elections, Prof. Abubakar dumped the party to rejoin governor Ganduje’s APC in the state.
As the ruling APC has broken into two factions, led by Ganduje and Shekarau, Prof. Hafiz, who earlier did not make his position known, made a surprise appearance at a political function organized by the Shekarau at his Kano residence on Tuesday.
Speaking in an interview with some journalists at the event, Prof. Abubakar said it is not surprise to see him at the gathering because he is aligning himself with the truth and future.
According to him, the events unfolding in APC in Kano is unfortunate and had derailed the party into crises that portend a bleak future come 2023.
He lamented that whenever there is a political function, what the party stakeholders are saying is that “the party belongs to three persons- the governor, his wife and the chairman.”
“My position is that, I am aligning myself with the truth and future. But the truth is that, what is going on in APC is really unfortunate. It is not what we amd all his supporters expected. Today it is public knowledge that the leaders of APC in Kano go to public functions and tell us that the party belongs to three persons in the state- the governor, his wife and the chairman.
“Sometimes we see it as laughter, but what we see in action unfortunately tell the truth. APC in Kano has derailed. Therefore, is part of our duty to save the party, to save ourselves and more importantly, to save the people of Kano.
“The future of APC is bleak. Unless drastic actions are taken, changes are made and mind come to the truth. The future is bleak. Is very clear, not in Kano alone. Even within the country, APC has to tell itself the truth. Unless that is done, unfortunately it’s going to be another transitional party.
“There is nothing surprising to see me with Shekarau because we have a very long relationship that predates the emergence of PDP and APP. We had belonged to tink tank group years back.
” I think the position Shekarau is leading is the one for the future. Let us come and run the party as it should be. Let people be respected. Let it be inclusive. Let people’s views be respected and matter. Let there be internal democracy where the voice should count and matter,” he said.
