Kano factional PDP expels Kwankwaso... it's messy

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A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State, led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Aminu Wali, on Thursday expelled ex-Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for alleged “anti-party activities.”

The group also accused Sen. Kwankwaso, a former Defence minister and 2019 PDP presidential aspirant, of “gross violation of constitutional orders of the PDP.”

The Wali faction announced the expulsion of Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, shortly after a congress brought into place a new leadership of the faction.

For a long time, the Wali faction and Kwankwasiyya Movement had been in leadership tussle for the soul of the PDP.

A high court recently held that the caretaker committee put in place by the Kwankwaso faction was the legitimate leadership of the PDP.

The ruling prompted the Kwankwasiyya group to elect party officials on Monday. Shehu Wada Sagagi was elected chairman, Dankaka Hussaini Bebeji became deputy chairman, while Jamilu Abubakar Dambatta emerged as the secretary.

Not satisfied with the court verdict, the Aminu Wali faction approached the Court of Appeal to upturn the ruling by the lower court.

Besides expelling Sen. Kwankwaso, the Wali faction also elected 39 executives to pilot the affairs of the opposition party in Kano.

The new executives are Muhammina Bako Lamido as state chairman, while Garba Abdullahi Gezawa is secretary.

Delegates from the 44 local governments and 448 wards of the state, making a total of 8,717 delegates, showed up for the congress held at the Kano Foundation House.

Lamido said they conducted fresh congress because constitutionally the tenure of the old executives had expired.

He said they formed the ‘Interim Executives’ in 2018 when Kwankwaso joined the party, insisting that they remained the authentic leadership of the opposition party in Kano.

“Kwankwaso cannot lead or speak for our party because he lacks legal power to do so. You can check whether his movement has wards, local governments and state executives; they have been alone and alone, and they remain so.”

Commenting on the recent judgment that recognised  Kwankwaso faction as the authentic party leadership, Lamido said they have appealed the judgment, “and as such the status-quo remains until the determination of the upper court.”