The recent removal of the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, seems to have sealed all hope of reconciliation between the governor, and his former boss, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Rabiu Suleiman Bichi was one of the few remaining loyalists of Kwankwaso that were still active in the regime of Ganduje, before his removal, recently.
Bichi was removed along with Usman Bala, who was the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Ganduje, as well as Halilu Baba Dantiye, who is the Director General in charge of Media and Communication.
Facts gathered from sources in the Ganduje administration confirmed that their removal was a practical move by the governor to weed out persons in his government believed to be unrepentant loyalists of Kwankwaso.
The removed persons have been accused severally by loyalists of Governor Ganduje on Radio Stations broadcasting in the state of working against his government, and spying for Kwankwaso.
Sources close to Governor Ganduje said their removal move was a clear indication that the crisis between the two leaders has gotten out of control.
According to observations, the public officials affected by the removal were appointed for Governor Ganduje by Kwankwaso on the eve to his departure as governor on May 29, 2015.
A background check carried out on the new persons brought as replacement for those replaced shows that they are well tested politicians, who are opposed to Kwankwaso’s political ideology and group, known as ‘Kwankwasiyya’.
Rabiu Suleiman Bichi has been replaced with Usman Alhaji, a grassroots politician, who was the Commissioner for Education to Kwankwaso, during his first tenure as governor from 1999 to 2003.
Usman Alhaji, has since parted ways with Kwankwaso politically, when he decamped from his group to work for former governor Ibrahim Shekarau, before later moving back to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Also, Usman Bala, Principal Private Secretary to the governor, was replaced by Ibrahim Kankarufi, a member of the former governor Ibrahim Shekarau faction of the APC, before the group moved to join PDP at the instance of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ibrahim Kankarufi is a well known grassroots mobiliser, and he seems to enjoy the support of large number of followers within the Malam Ibrahim Shekarau political camp in the PDP.
In the same vein, Halilu Baba Dantiye, Director General, Media and Communication, was replaced by Malam Yusuf Tanko Yakasai, who is the son of one of Kano’s most visible First Republic Politicians.
Yusuf Tanko Yakasai is also known to be a very close person to the political camp of President Muhammadu Buhari within the APC.
Sources hinted that the move by Governor Ganduje to appoint core politicians into his government was as a result of outcry by his followers that his administration lacks experienced politicians that are needed to fight for his re-election come 2019.
Bringing in these experienced politicians at this material time is seen by many people in the state as being very strategic to positioning himself for re-election, as well as an indication that he is out for all out fight with Kwankwaso.
Adeola Ajakaiye
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