Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has offered insight into why Kano State governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, was foot-dragging on his much-speculated defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as against other recent political realignments across the country.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the former federal lawmaker said Kano’s political landscape remains uniquely turbulent and deeply rooted in historical rivalries, making any political movement in the State a complex affair.
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“All the defections in the country have been seamless and easy except that of Kano,” the former lawmaker wrote. “Kano’s politics remains as hot as that of 1979.”
Sani recalled the political turbulence of the Second Republic, describing how ideological battles and factional crises shaped politics in the old Kano and Kaduna States.
“We were living witnesses to the turbulence of that era,” he wrote. “When the PRP won Kano and Kaduna, we dragged maize plants along the streets of Kaduna, the maize was part of the logo of the ruling NPN.”
He noted that the internal division within the defunct People’s Redemption Party (PRP) at the time mirrored the kind of political uncertainty currently playing out in Kano State now as Governor Yusuf faced mounting pressure over his next political move.
“When the PRP became factionalised, we became confused, not knowing who to support between the Aminu Kano faction and the Michael Imoudu faction led by Rimi,” Sani recalled.
He added that the late Kaduna State governor, Balarabe Musa, tried to hold the progressive front together until his impeachment, which he described as a turning point that shattered the movement’s morale.
“Balarabe Musa tried to control the situation in Kaduna until his impeachment; everyone lost hope,” Sani noted.
Drawing parallels between then and now, the former Senator observed that politics has always been “an art of navigating storms,” requiring resilience and courage from those who choose to engage in it.
“Politics is most times the art of moving from one storm to another. You need a heart of steel to withstand some of the pressures and stress,” he wrote.
Senator Sani’s perspective came amid ongoing speculation over Governor Yusuf’s planned defection to the APC following his recent closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday evening.