Why I want to reconcile with Kwankwaso, says Ganduje

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said he is determined to end politics of bitterness in the country, hence his move to get together with a former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Ganduje, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Chief Oliver Okpala, on Sunday said he would continue to push for a united and cohesive Nigeria that meets the aspirations of citizens and ensure peace, unity and sanity in the orbit of the country’s politics.

Recall that Kwankwaso had left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following differences with Ganduje, before moving to the NNPP to run for presidency in the 2023 election.

The feud between them was so intense that Kwankwaso was barred from entering Kano, when Ganduje was governor. But there are reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is pushing for reconciliation between them.

A few days ago, Ganduje called on Kwankwaso and other leaders of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, including Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to join the APC. But, the governor’s spokesperson and Director General, Media and Publicity, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, said Yusuf was not invited formally, as he only got the appeal through the media.

But Ganduje in a statement on Sunday said, “This is the first time the chairman of a ruling political party in the country has exhibited such maturity, taking such an approach and calling for a united front. It is a call to avoid bitterness and rancour, it is a call for politicians to work together as Nigerians and to see each other as brothers and sisters.

“From his comment, it is important that the intention of his call should not be misconstrued. It should be seen as what it is, an invitation from a matured politician without guile, aimed at building the much needed synergy that Nigeria needs to surmount its multifaceted challenges.