I have a different view on the press release by the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) condemning former governor of Kano State and present Senator representing Kano Central, Muhammad Rabiu Musa, on his recent condolence or is it political rally campaign to Ganduje town after the demise of the mother of Kano State governor Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
I will look at it from the role political parties could play in sanitising our politics and make good politicians for a better democracy in the country. I am not a politician nor a bootlicker to any politician, so my take is objective and as a student of politics my take is also analytical on the pros and cons of the press release by the party which unequivocally condemned the recent show of macabre and gross disrespect shown to the deceased mother of Kano State governor and the governor himself by political thugs associated with the former governor.
It is on record that during the first and second republic party supremacy was the order of the day, great politicians like Ahmadu Bello and Aminu Kano were under the full control of their parties and political parties had clear demarcation on their role and members role and any member could be punished by the party leadership.
The recent outburst of APC Kano maybe with or without any external influence, many people said they may have got the right body language from the powers that be at Kano Government House that is why they made the release. But whatever is the case, if there is any institution who could sanitise our politics and strengthen democracy in Nigeria it is political party, political parties must not allow individual politicians to dominate them and rise above them, they must be in charge and whip any member into line in accordance with their various constitutions and manifestos.
I am not trying to be judgemental, but going by the constitution of APC, the governor of a state is the party leader in the state, which makes Governor Ganduje party leader today in Kano. Therefore, the party leadership is right to feel aggrieved by the treatment meted to the governor by the political thugs of the former governor. I listened and watched some of the recordings and videos, it was really despicable to assume any right thinking individual could utter such words to a bereaved person, politics is not madness, and some of the weapons paraded alone deserves a warning from the party.
I agree that the party may have amicably call the attention of the former governor on some of the issues observed in the release instead of the public show, they should have contacted the former governor to persuade him to call his former loyal deputy and offer his apology, and mandate him to also call on his exuberance supporters to cease from calling Ganduje names. He should make it clear to them that an insult on Ganduje is an insult to Rabiu, if that is done, some the tension being generated presently by this public release would have been doused. Certainly the governor needs all the support and constructive criticism not abuses to deliver on his electioneering promises and the party has an important role to play in ensuring that success.
Rabiu Shamma is Kano-based political analyst.
