The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State has called for the arrest of the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over his allegations against the party and the federal government.
Daily Trust reported that Kwankwaso had alleged that the APC-led federal government is attempting to disrupt the peaceful coexistence of Kano State.
Kwankwaso, who spoke during the flag-off ceremony for the construction of 85 kilometres of rural roads in his hometown, Madobi, alleged that the federal government was taking wrong advice from some unnamed individuals who do not want peace in Kano and wanted to create another Boko Haram insurgency in the state.
"In the buildup to 2027, some desperate politicians are already on a mission of disruption, but we will rather prefer the two of us to lose than to allow them to crush us unnecessarily. We dare anybody who thinks he can victimise us politically to go and rest assured that we are ready for the fight," the former Kano State governor said.
"We are open to dialogue, truce, and reconciliation, but we will not accept intimidation or political harassment of any sort. We know how to play politics, and we have all it takes to protect ourselves from any evil," he added.
But in its reaction, Abdullahi Abbas, the APC chairman in Kano State, said in a statement yesterday that no amount of threat by Kwankwaso would intimidate the federal government.
The statement reads, "The embattled NNPP chieftain, who is visibly disturbed by the dismal performance of his protege in the last year and frustratingly longing for control of Kano politics, should be arrested by security agents to determine who is recruiting the Boko Haram terrorists.
"We want to call on security agents to arrest this man so that he reveals the identity of those he referred to as enemies of the state working for the federal government to recruit Boko Haram terrorists and insurgents," the statement added.The chairman noted that the comments were a pointer to a sinister motive by Kwankwaso and his cohorts to unleash trouble in Kano.
The national secretariat of the party also issued a statement in which it said, "As a former governor and Minister of Defence, we expect Kwankwaso to demonstrate high-grade discretion and a better grip on the severe social, political, and security implications of unguarded utterances capable of fuelling tension and strife in the good state of Kano.
"It is disturbing that Kwankwaso would so casually accuse the federal government of attempting to create a new breed of Boko Haram terrorists and insurgents. It is grossly insensitive, unwarranted, and unacceptable for Kwankwaso to bandy such a serious allegation in such a cavalier manner."
In a related development, the presidency has denied allegations that the federal government is planning to declare a state of emergency following the protracted impasse surrounding the emirship tussle in Kano.
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Kwankwaso had alleged that the FG was planning to declare a state of emergency in the state.
He said the refusal of the federal government to remove security operatives guarding the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, who had been deposed by the state government, showed that the government at the centre did not mean well for the state.
But responding, the special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the alarm by Kwankwaso was a "mere rumour."
Onanuga said the FG cannot declare a state of emergency in any state without the involvement of the National Assembly, adding that there was no such plan.
