By Ibrahim Muhammad Kano
The Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf broker-peace between stakeholders in New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and top echelons of Kwankwasiyya movement in Kano.
The successful reconciliation held behind a close door at the Governor’s office Monday evening has put to rest the lingering crisis rocking the internal structure of the party.
A statement by Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, the Governor’s spokesperson, disclosed that key figures involved in the reconciliation include the Secretary to State Government, SSG, Dr. Baffa Bichi, and Bichi local government Chairmanship aspirant, Hon. Hon Hamza Sule Maifata.
Addressing journalists at the close door meeting, the SSG, Dr. Abdullahi Baffa Bichi accepted the intervention of Governor Yusuf and promised to resolve his difference with the factional group in his Bichi constituency and groups claiming to be his critics.
Dr. Bichi subsequently dissociated himself from the deviance group (Abba Tsaya da Kafar ka) calling for division between the Governor and the party’s national leader Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
According to Bichi, ” I have since submitted myself and all my activities to Governor Abba Yusuf as our leader and accepted all that he wanted I am ready to abide with. On the factional group they are talking about, I have nothing to do with them.
“If it were 1 to tell 10 campaign initiative, everyone knows I am behind it which I have offices in all the 19 northern states but that is for the presidential campaign and the Governor is a presidential aspirant.”
On the issue of reconciliation, he said, “the Governor has already intervened and everything is over. We are all his loyalists and we are ready to abide by whatever he wants.
On his part, Hon Hamza Sule Maifata, Chairmanship candidate of the NNPP in Bichi local government also expressed commitment to embrace peace and settle discord with the SSG.
“We have sat today with the Governor, SSG and other stakeholders and we have voiced our grievances which we later came to understand that it was just being peddled by rumour mongers and enemies of the party.
“We have now forgiven each other and embrace peace. We would now work together like we used to and this reconciliation brokered by the Governor has put it out permanently.
“And I want to promise the Governor, our party leaders and other stakeholders including the leadership of the House of Assembly especially the Speaker that everything has been put behind bars. I appreciate the intervention of the Governor and all those that brought the matter up for reconciliation”. Maifata said.
The meeting was held at the instance of the Speaker, Kano State House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Jibrin Ismail Falgore, along side the leadership of the house, who had prevailed on the intervention of the Governor to quench the crisis from escalation.
