Why lawmakers should not take sides in Kwankwaso, Ganduje feud – Rep

A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has explained why his colleagues should not identify themselves with either the governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, or his predecessor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in the face-off rocking the APC in the state.

The two political allies have been at loggerheads recently, leading to the intervention of the seven governors of the North West geo-political zone.

But it appears despite the peace accord, the two political leaders are yet to settle their differences.

Mr. Jibrin, who is the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, expressed sadness over the crisis, saying taking sides in the matter would only help escalate the crisis.

In an open letter to both Governor Ganduje and Kwankwaso, the lawmaker said, “Whoever takes sides to stoke the embers of enmity in order to raze down your decades-old bond in less than a year, is neither a friend, nor supporter but political panhandler who benefits from the ‘crumbs’ of the crisis.”

“You will recall that I have been at the centre of mediation, making ‘diplomatic’ shuttle in your residences, reaching out to two of you in private in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis.

“I have been unwavering and steadfast since the formative stage of the misunderstanding, through the period of cold war and now full-blown political crisis. I have tarried this long to write to you in order to ease the legislative burden of budget passage shouldered on the committee I chair in the House of Representatives. You will bear me witness that I have done a lot, despite this tasking engagement, toward solving the crisis amicably.

“I cannot be running with the hare and hunting with hounds. I believe the greatest service and show of unalloyed loyalty one should offer you, is to seek ways of brokering the feud in order to avoid muddling the image you built over the years in public by zealot supporters,” he said.

Mr. Jibrin said notable Nigerians, including the president, governors, lawmakers and traditional rulers should intervene for an amicable resolution of the crisis.

“Having analysed the crisis, made a political SWOT analysis of the situation, it is obvious that none of you stands to benefit from this row. The party will suffer. Both of you will be distracted. The masses will bear the brunt. And our political opponents we defeated in the past will avail themselves of our differences to advance their political cause. The lizard finds a space to penetrate through the wall when it finds a crack.

“It is evident that the crisis has gone out of hand as supporters of the either camp have owned up and taken over the crisis, and in the process diminishing your capacity to decide on reconciliatory moves.

“As a solution to the crisis, I suggest that at some points of the reconciliation, your key allies and supporters be involved because of the role they play in starting, fanning and spreading the political inferno.

“My dear leaders, upon all the political mentoring and the good political values you inculcate in us, what legacy are you now bequeathing to us, your political sons? It certainly shouldn’t be a legacy of division, nor a broken political home,” he said in the letter.