Lukman: APC lost Kano because of Ganduje — his feud with Sanusi unnecessary

Salihu Lukman, a former vice-chair of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the north-west, says the party lost Kano in 2023 because of Abdullahi Ganduje, former governor of the state.

In a statement on Monday, Lukman said Ganduje’s feud with Muhammadu Sanusi II was unnecessary.

The APC chieftain was reacting to the drama that has followed the reinstatement of Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.

Ganduje, APC national chair, had dethroned Sanusi in 2020 and balkanised the Kano emirate.

Lukman said as a member of the APC in the north-west, he is “scandalised that my party has degenerated to a level below any democratic standard”.

“The only rationale so far is to restore the old abrasive politics of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in Kano State by undermining the Kano State Government led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf,” he said.

“We must remind leaders, President Asiwaju Tinubu in particular, that the fundamental reason why APC lost Kano State to NNPP was the reckless way Dr. Ganduje managed politics in Kano State.

“The dethronement of Emir Sanusi in 2020 on account of the disagreement between Dr. Ganduje and the Emir was very unnecessary and unfortunate.

“For Dr. Ganduje to have descended on the Kano Emirate the way he did in 2020, only created the basis for politicising the Kano Emirate, which is now reducing the tenure of Emirs to correspond with the tenure of Governors.”

The former director-general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said the APC is weak in the north because it has not lived up to its promises.

“Unfortunately, given the way we have rolled out policies that have crashed the standard of living of citizens under the current administration of President Asiwaju Tinubu, the support base of the APC in the north has further shrunk,” he said.

“Perhaps, President Asiwaju Tinubu and all those behind the reckless attempt to trample on the constitutional authority of Kano state government should be reminded about the fact of our poor electoral performance in Kano State and the north-west during the 2023 presidential elections.”