₦airaland Forum

Why Ganduje lost Kano to NNPP
It is no more news that Abba Yusuf (Gida Gida) of the NNPP that emerged winner of the Gubernatorial elections last Saturday. This is not a surprise for those who have been watching the politics of Kano State in the last 8 years. The Incumbent Governor Dr.Abdullahi Ganduje supported his deputy Yusuf Gawuna and Commissioner for Local Government, Sule Garo as his successor while Former Governor and Presidential candidate of the NNPP, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso (The leader of the red cap movement Kwankwasiyya).
Some of the reason APC lost are in my opinion:

The personal feud between Kwankwaso and Ganduje: Right from the time Kwankwaso finished his tenure, he never wanted Ganduje to succeed him but he was pressured to support his loyal 'Friend' since 1993...then the battle line was drawn Ganduje won against Takai of PDP an ally of Mal. Shekarau

Bearly two years into his administration, Ganduje started 'destroying'and 'uprooting' the Kwankwasiyya structures, firstly, he dropped the red cap and cleaned the Kwankwasiyya name emblazoned on zincs in virtually all schools in Kano spending millions to erase Kwankwaso's name from history.

The Dollar bribery Scandal: this basically was an inside job by the Kwankwasiyya loyalists led by The New Nigeria online newspaper founder (Jafar Jafar) that video was a big dent on Ganduje's administration, his ratings among 'Kanawas' nosedived, he was termed greedy and avaricious.

The over bearing nature of his wife: at no time did a governor's wife is as powerful as 'Gogo' Hajia Hafsah Ganduje, a vocal First Lady, whom some believed is the one 'ruling' Kano State, she was even accused of nominating Sule Garu, to be the governor but he had to settle for the deputy governorship post due to stiff oppositions from party loyalists who believe he will be a stooge of the First family.

Dethroning of Sunusi as Emir: [/b]this was seen as a big affront on the revered traditional throne, he dethroned Emir Sunusi, strong loyalist of Kwankwaso, in fact, his appointment was seen as political move to spite the then President Jonathan, after Lamido Sunusi was relieved of his post as CBN Governor. Ganduje unbundled the Kano Emirate to the disappointment of many people. This ws just to cut Sunusi to size for his verbal attack on Ganduje's policies. He Emir (Sunusi) was alleged to have even supported Abba Yusuf of PDP during the 2019 election.

[b]The Kofar Nassarawa bridge brouhaha: the was a plan to demolish the bridge, one of the 'faces' of Kwankwaso's infrastructural development of Kano, Ganduje said the bridge was not professionally constructed. This drew an uproar from the Kwankwasiyya faction as a political vendetta

Merger with Shekarau: to spite, Kwankwaso, Ganduje formed an 'unholy' alliance with Shekarau, a sworn political rival of Kwankwasiyya movement, this didn't go down well with Kwankwaso, an alliance which will eventually collapse due to internal wranglings from both Ganduje and Shekarau's camps.
Land sales disputes: Ganduje has been accused of selling Government lands to friends and cronies, a policy the Kwankwasiyya movement promise to revoke.

Final shot: the currency change by the Federal Government further damaged the APC chances. However, Ganduje will go down in history as a man who did his best as regards security and infrastructure in Kano.