Alhaji Sadiq Wali, immediate past Kano State Commissioner for Water Resources is the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections. He speaks on the chances of his party and why he wants to govern Kano State with KOLA OYELERE.
Recently, former Kano State governor, Malam Shekarau, dumped the New Nigeria People’s Party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But some of his opponents are saying there is nothing spectacular he will bring to the party or the chances of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to win the presidential election. What is your take on this?
Take it or leave it, aside the fact that Malam Shekarau is presently representing Kano central district at the upper chamber, he was the first governor to have broken the political jinx noted with Kano’s politics by being the first governor to rule the state for two terms consecutively. He governed the state for good eight years and also defeated an incumbent governor. Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was governor then. All these qualities are indications that Malam Shekarau has a formidable political structure not only in Kano but also in the North-West and will certainly work positively for PDP in the general election. Whoever is saying or has negative impression that Malam Shekarau is not an asset to PDP is living in fool’s paradise.
Or can anyone also say that the presidential standard-bearer of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is not a force to be reckoned with politically? This is somebody that had won a governorship seat in Adamawa State before being picked as running mate to former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku served as vice-president for good eight years. All I can say is that we do not believe in campaign of calumny or casting aspersions against anybody; we will embrace an issues- based campaign. And we also believe in God and the unalloyed support of the electorate that the pendulum will swing in our favour, in PDP’s favour.
You served as commissioner in the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration. Why did you resign from the cabinet?
I resigned purposely because my people, my constituency wanted me to contest the gubernatorial election because they believe I have delivered while serving them as commissioner under the leadership of Governor Ganduje
But why did you opt to contest on the platform of PDP and not the All Progressives Congress (APC)?
I served as commissioner for water resources for two and a half years in the Governor Ganduje’s administration. I resigned my position to actualise my gubernatorial ambition under the PDP because, before I served as a commissioner on the platform of APC, I was a card-carrying member of PDP and I believe that since I belong to the party, there will be no problem for me to contest on the party’s platform, which is the best avenue to win the hearts of my people who are majorly in PDP.
What is problem between you and AlhajiMuhammedAbacha, because he also contested the PDP governorship primary election and he is claiming to be the rightful candidate?
Well, he may be claiming to be the rightful standard-bearer of the party, but the question is this did his primary election pass through all the rudiments, all the necessary criteria? Was his primary election witnessed by [officials of] INEC [Independent National Electoral Commission] and also organised by the delegates sent by the party to supervise the election? The answer is no. However, the final list released by the INEC has put that to rest, though he has right to contest this in court. But one thing is clear, that in any competition between two or three people, a winner and loser(s) must certainly emerge. My call to Alhaji Muhammed Abacha is to rally round me and render all necessary support for the party to win the election.
It is no longer news that there is a crisis rocking the party…
Yes, there are issues to settle among stakeholders and members of the party. Kano PDP has currently embraced the principles of justice and equity. Whether one likes it or not, most of the political parties are facing one crisis or another. But one thing that is clear is during disagreement, agreement will be reached. We are rebuilding our party and we are getting stronger every day. We are building a party where there will be justice and equity. In Kano PDP today, there is equity. We come together on a roundtable, we argue issues, but, at the end of the day, everybody is carried along. As long as you are willing to promote the interest of the party, you are welcome. We welcome everybody that is willing to come and promote the party. We are not driving anybody away.
What are your plans for the teeming masses, who prompted you to run for the office of governor?
If elected, my administration will use the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative to boost the economy of the state and restore the lost glory of Kano as the commercial nerve centre of the North. Our team is prepared to rebuild the economy. We believe in Public Private Partnership. Kano is private sector driven. Most Kano indigenes are very industrious and we need to encourage them. All they need is support from government. Taking China as an example, Kano under my administration will become economically independent as my administration will have the mandate to encourage and promote small scale businessmen and businesswomen [to achieve] local/indigenous industrialisation. This was how countries like China developed their economies. We will come up with policies that promote local industries; we will discourage those policies that close down our local industries. If elected, my administration will encourage direct foreign investment for the betterment of the state and its economic growth. I will use my years of experience in the private sector not only provide quality leadership for the people of Kano, but also grow the economy through reformed Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) system.
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