A fresh political standoff is unfolding within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Kano State, as the party’s chairman, Usaini Isa Mai Riga, has declared that the party structure will not be handed over to former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In an exclusive interview on Monday, Mai Riga disclosed that efforts to reach a common ground with Kwankwaso ahead of his entry into the party had broken down, despite holding two separate meetings to discuss leadership arrangements.
“He wants us to hand over the entire party to him, despite the sacrifices and time we invested in nurturing it when it had little or no attention,” Mai Riga said.
He maintained that such a demand was unacceptable, stressing that the current leadership would resist any attempt to take control of the party.
“This will not happen. We will pursue all legitimate avenues to ensure that Kwankwaso does not take over the party structure from us,” he added.
Mai Riga also revealed that he received instructions from the party’s national leadership to suspend the planned state congress, citing the timing of Kwankwaso’s entry, despite similar congresses proceeding in other states.
“We were asked not to hold our congress because there are plans to hand over the party to Kwankwaso, that is why you see me here instead of at the congress venue. We will not allow the rights of party members to be undermined. We will do everything possible because we do not support injustice,” he said.
The statement marks Mai Riga’s first public reaction following the entry of Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, into the NDC, just 24 hours after receiving his membership card.
Earlier on Monday, Kwankwaso arrived in Kano and is expected to meet with close political associates to deliberate on leadership structure and candidate positioning across different levels.
However, Mai Riga noted that the former governor has yet to formally engage with the state party leadership.
DAILYPOST
