Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The fractures and frictions in Nigeria's two major political parties, the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are pointers to the stunted growth of the country's party's system. Recently, the Director-General of Progressive Governors' Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman, resigned his appointment as the manager of policy, strategy and governance system of state governors elected on the platform of APC. Lukman contested against the incumbent Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, for the APC gubernatorial ticket in 2014, but lost due to certain considerations that favoured El-Rufai. Lukman expected that his home governor may not side with him on issues revolving around the performance of his office, but he did not allow that to constrain or make him circumspect in holding his political views and upholding his democratic rights. He regretted that some members of the PGF became intolerant to the opposition in their desire to dominate the governing party, but from the vantage position of his office as DG of the APC governors' forum, he was able to distil information and vote against tyranny, impunity.

The three political actors in Kano State, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, are embroiled in a triangular political duel. Governor Ganduje has used tact, Abuja connection and power of incumbency to isolate his former benefactor from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). In 2019, the outcome of the governorship poll showed that the incumbent escaped with a slim margin of victory, while Ganduje and his running mate polled 1, 033, 695 votes, Yusuf and his deputy, Aminu Abdussalam returned a total of 1, 024, 713 ballots. Kwankwao challenged the result in court. Governor Ganduje's attempt to sideline a former rival turned ally, Senator Shekarau, opened a new frontier of power play and provided an opening for a possible Shekarau and Kwankaso rapprochement. Kwankwaso regained his voice and presence in the political equation in the state, leading to speculation that he was on his way back to the governing APC. The former governor reinforced the rumour when he stated that his political future would be predicated on what becomes of the appeal.