Abdullahi Ganduje, the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), took a swipe at Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), labeling him a “serial loser.”
This statement was made during a gathering on Wednesday where Ganduje hosted Haliru Dauda Jika, the NNPP governorship candidate from Bauchi State for the 2023 election. Jika officially switched his allegiance to the APC at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
Ganduje, the former governor of Kano, pointed out that Kwankwaso’s consistent pursuit of personal interests over national interests has been a major obstacle to his presidential ambitions.
He also criticized Kwankwaso for his lack of steadfastness in party politics, emphasizing that this inconsistency has contributed to his repeated electoral defeats.
Furthermore, Ganduje remarked that Kwankwaso’s association with the “Kwankwasiyya backed” NNPP was deceptive and exploitative. He expressed satisfaction that Jika had abandoned this association.
Ganduje stated, “He is returning to a party that is very progressive and focused when we look at where he was coming from. He is coming from a party that used to be a decent party and highly respected but was later hijacked and polluted by the Kwankwasiya group.”
He added, “The Kwankwasiyya group, headed by the former Kano state governor, was forced to go into a sabbatical leave for eight years before it found its way back to Government House in Kano.”
Ganduje did not mince words in labeling Kwankwaso a “professional contestant” in presidential elections who is destined to be a “professional failure.” He also noted Kwankwaso’s penchant for self-promotion.
Promising inclusiveness to those returning to the APC, Ganduje assured them of the party’s efforts to reposition itself ahead of the 2027 polls.