From Edwin Olofu, Kano.
Kano state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has said that certain forces that are afraid of his rising political clout are trying to frustrate his presidential declaration, by denying him of access to public place that have been chosen for the event.
Speaking to newsmen in his office yesterday, Kwankwaso said he had made frantic effort to secure the Eagle Square or the International Conference Center for the declaration, but was blatantly denied by those laying claim to the ownership of the venues, saying he will not hesitate to launch the campaign on the streets of Abuja.
“We have applied for public place to declare before Nigerians and the world, but we are being constantly denied access and I want to hint that if there is no charge of heart, we would be compelled to storm Abuja streets with millions of our supporters for the declaration”, he declared.
He explained that the denial forced his campaign team to shift the earlier date scheduled for the event, adding that “Tuesday, October 28 remain a date for us and Nigerians”.
According to the All Progressives Party (APC) presidential hopeful, he was in the business of politics to prove his mettle and that no amount of executive fiat or intimidation at the center could ever suppress his willpower to actualize his burning ambition, adding that he was not under pressure to step down for anybody.
Kwankwaso stated that, “I am not under pressure to step down for anybody and no one has called me to step down for him. At this stage, stepping down would not augur well for the party; let the primary decide the fate of contestants”.
He said “We are talking of APC, a mega party; we are different from PDP, where one person will choose and decide the fate of others; but we shall go to the field to demonstrate democracy in action”.
He, however, stated that the struggle for the presidential ticket on the platform of the APC is free from rancor and less confrontational, adding that whoever wins the presidential primaries would be unanimously supported by his fellow presidential hopefuls.
“We have no reason to bicker, provided that there is a free and fair primaries; we are not going to behave like a small or medium party, where people take solace in pettiness and unnecessary gossips. We are matured people; we should be expected to play the game according to the rules”, he stressed.
Kwankwaso, who was emphatic on the presidential primaries, further revealed that the PDP had effected a negative paradigm shift, by taking the decision to hold their primaries in the Presidential Villa, saying the party would fail woefully in the 2015 presidential contest.
He said the APC was formidable and cohesive enough to take a good decision, and that the issue of forcing one to accept a sinister design does not arise.
The governor tasked the party leadership to ensure credible, free and fair presidential primary that would be acceptable to all.
Kwankwaso stated that ‘time is up for PDP misrule in the country and I want to impress it on them that any attempt to rig the 2015 general election would generate mass protest that would sweep them out of power’.
The leader of Red cap revolution revealed that he has moles and sympathisers in PDP, adding that they were hanging on to do the appropriate damage to the advantage of APC.
The most interesting thing is that people are joining the APC because of me and more would join, especially if I get the ticket and the few good guys in PDP are my friends and they are hanging on till the right time to pull out”.
He stated that “all those who are always in a haste to counter me from PDP are with us and we would win the 2015 race and the PDP would lose”.
On whether he had anointed the person to succeed him, Kwankwaso said the time was not ripe for speculation, stressing however that the APC in Kano would provide a level playing ground for every contestant to prove his efficacy.
“Anybody can buy form and enter the race. If people are really interested in consensus, it is okay. But if consensus fail, then we would go for the primaries; that is the beauty of democracy” he stated.
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