Buhari, Tinubu, Ribadu Storm Kano To Woo Governor Kwankwaso Into APC

Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso

Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State said on Thursday he will consult stakeholders of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state before deciding on whether to join the All Progressive Congress (APC).

He made the remark at Government House in Kano when he received a delegation of APC national leaders led by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) who came to request him to join the party.
“I will sit down with all stakeholders because there is no decision I can take as governor without consulting the stakeholders of the party. 
Kwankwasiyya movement is a disciplined movement. We are working as a group and a team,’’ he said.
“Certainly we will sit down all of us and look at all the challenges and the consequences if any, and together we will take decision on what to do and communicate to you,’’ Governor Kwankwaso told his guests.
The governor described the Kwankwasiyya Movement as a “powerful movement” which has the capacity and strength to win the election again in 2015. “We are stronger now than when we had no government,” he asserted.
He told the gathering that he was happy that the leadership of the APC, which comprised highly respected Nigerians, found him worthy of the visit, pointing out that he had associated in one way or the other with most leaders of the party in the past 20 years.
Earlier, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari said the delegation was in Kano as part of a “recruitment drive” for their party to ensure that Kano joins the progressive fold.
He stressed that the APC was concerned about the socio-economic development and the security of the citizenry, lamenting particularly that the Boko Haram crisis was a deliberate attempt by some people to clog the wheels of the country’s progress.
Others who spoke during the visit were the APC National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state. They praised Kwankwaso for his efforts to move the state forward and enjoined him to join the APC in view of his progressive stance.
Also present during the one-day visit were other bigwigs of the APC, including the governors of Lagos and Ekiti States, theformer Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari; former EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as well as serving and former legislators.