2023: Kwankwaso/NNPP Threaten APC 2015-2019 Vote Margin In North

By Abdulmalik Suleiman

As the forthcoming general election is fast approaching, indications have emerged to suggest that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC’s) Northern fortress has been removed from its kitty.

With incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari out of ballot, the region has become open to any smart political party to take, most especially the 12 million votes that the former soldier has continued to garner in successive elections.

It is a known fact that the ruling party came into power in 2015 courtesy of the bloc vote that came it’s way from the cultic mystical persona of the Daura born ex-general, which will no longer be there for the APC next year.

Unfortunately for the ruling party, the twin factors of lackluster performance and its inability to get another Northern politician of Buhari’s stature and standing are compounding issues for it.

Perhaps, the only politician with similar standing with President Buhari remains the immediate past Kano State Governor, Engineer Rabiu. Musa Kwankwaso who has become the leading light and torchbearer of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Simply put, Kwankwaso’s urging popularity in the North may eclipse APC as the dominant party in the region considering many factors working out positively for the former Kano Governor.

One of such is his record of performance in both public and private life, which has endeared him to the talakawas in the North. The former defence minister and federal lawmaker has utilized public and private resources to help and drive the cause of the downtrodden in a manner that had never been witnessed before.

As a governor, he has used the platform of governmental structure to articulate and implement infrastructural developmental programmes and policies that have help the common citizens of the state. He has done the same using his KWANKWASIYYA Movement as a private citizen.

In all these, Kwankwaso has never been a subject of serious inquest by the various anti-graft agencies, not to talk being prosecuted for graft.

The political calculations are very simple because it would amount to self deceit or self denial that Kwankwaso NNPP won’t get more than 10m in the North while APC and its main challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) jostle for the leftover votes.

Once Kwankwaso’s NNPP crossed over with 5m votes because the APC previous winning margins wasn’t encouraging, this may likely lead the party to bid the presidency bye bye because of the popularity of the PDP in the South and North-central.