TheCable

Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will not step down for Muhammadu Buhari in the race for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), TheCable has been informed.

There has been tremendous pressure on Kwankwaso to step down in order to boost the chances of the former head of state, but several meetings between the supporters of both aspirants have been deadlocked.

Although this is not expected to be a major set-back for Buhari, the possibility of reducing the number of contestants in order to avoid a post-primary rancour is now remote.

Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, is another strong contender for the ticket but it will not be a two-horse race between him and Buhari.

“Kwankwaso has no intention of stepping down for anybody. He will participate fully in the primary. His record in Kano, one of the most complex states in Nigeria, is a good advertisement for him for what he can do at the national level.

“He is young, experienced and progressive. Under no condition will he step down,” one of his commissioners, who declined being named, told TheCable on the phone.

The idea of adopting Buhari as the consensus candidate of the party – to avoid a primary election – is not gaining traction within the party.

Kwankwaso said on Tuesday that he was against suggestions of a consensus candidate.

“Consensus is part of the belief of APC, but the fact of the matter is that we have seen in PDP, from 1999 to 2011, every election year there was primary election and primary election in my opinion strengthens a party.

“Therefore, probably that is why PDP has been winning elections. On the other hand, other parties, because of their weaknesses were not doing primaries. I believe that at the end of the day our party will come out with a candidate that would be generally accepted by the party and by extension the entire Nigeria,” he said.

Kano APC is divided sharply between Buhari and Kwankwaso.

Former presidential candidate in the third republic, Bashir Tofa, and former minister of labour, Musa Gwadabe, are with Kwankwaso.

He also has the backing of other key APC members such as Haruna Dan Zago, Yusuf Chiroma Kutama, former deputy governor Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, and former MD of Nigerian Ports Authority, Aminu Dabo.

Former military governor Jaafaru Isa, Bello Isa Bayero, Ibrahim Ali Amin (“Little”), and Magaji Abdullahi, who was deputy governor from 2003-2011, are pushing for the candidacy of Buhari.