PDP Crisis: G-7 Governors Are Open To Four Options, Says Gov. Kwankwaso

Kano state Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has said that himself and other aggrieved governors in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, otherwise referred to as G-7 Governors are open to four options in its ongoing battle with the Bamanga tukur led Leadership of the party.


The Governor hinted that one of the four options open to the seven governors is to decamp to the mega opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC).

The other options available to the G-7 Governors include finalizing the ongoing reconciliation effort by President Goodluck Jonathan, aligning forces with a small, unpopular party, and that of floating a new political party

The G-7 Governors are currently locked in a battle of supremacy and party structure control with the national leadership of the PDP led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and Mr. Jonathan, who they have repeatedly told to respect the terms of the agreement he signed with some PDP governors prior to the 2011 general elections that he would not seek a second term in office.

Gov. Kwankwaso made these views known in Abuja yesterday when he spoke on the Hausa service of Vision FM radio.

The governor decried what he termed the lack of will to address the group’s grievances by both the party leadership and the President even though his Jigawa State counterpart – Sule Lamido – was a member of the G-34 that gave birth to the PDP in 1998.

He said: “All that we demanded from the party and government, which we see as the way forward for the party, none was fulfilled. Therefore it is surprising to see a party that is toying with its warfront commanders”.

Kwankwaso also said, “We already have four ways out of this crisis if they can’t meet up our concerns. One is the dialogue, which is still going on, or joining a small party, and then some people offered floating a new party, yet some are of the view of joining APC. We don’t want to leave the party. But if leaving PDP is what will only save our states and people, we will leave it. As such, we call on people to support us on that, because our concern is to ward off anything that will harm our people”.

Asked what their actual grouse is with the Tukur-led National Working Committee of PDP, Kwankwaso said, “We want them to address the Rivers crisis where the PDP leadership was sacked. Amaechi himself, he won [NGF] election with 18 votes, I was there. But someone with 16 claimed to win the election. Then in Adamawa, we said the problem there should be addressed and other things that we said need to be resolved”.

The Kano State governor also reiterated his rejection of the proposed national dialogue, which he said is only being supported by people, who he said want to “enjoy the luxury of Abuja hotels and receive government money when the conference ends.”

He added, “I do not support this dialogue. I said this on the same day the President announced it. It is going to be a waste of resources, waste of time and at the end of the day it may even elicit another problem which was not envisaged by those who came up with the idea initially.

“I am personally not in support of it. But this is politics, so we will convene an elders meeting in Kano. When I was the Defense Minister a similar conference was held and a lot of money was spent. But if you ask me now where is the report of that conference? I do not know where it is.”

The Kano governor rather advised the federal government to inject the money to be spent on organizing the national conference in developmental projects across the country.