Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
The Kwankwasiyya Movement has condemned statements made by Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, director-general of Media and Publicity to the Kano State Government, on Arise TV, describing them as reckless, inconsistent, and driven by political desperation.
A statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the movement, Habib Mohammed, yesterday said that such confused political speculation did not deserve a response.
However, he added that the deliberate attempt to mislead the public and distort the political realities in Kano and Nigeria could not be ignored.
“Firstly, it is both shocking and embarrassing that a government spokesperson could go on national television to openly promote rumours, assumptions, and fabricated political gossip as official communication.
“One moment, he claims Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the next moment, he says Kwankwaso has thrown the opposition into disarray. These contradictions clearly expose the confusion within their camp.
“If Kwankwaso is politically irrelevant as they want Nigerians to believe, why then is the entire machinery of government obsessed with his movements, meetings, and political decisions daily? He asked. The truth is simple: the growing acceptance of the Kwankwasiyya Movement across Nigeria has unsettled many political actors who now see Kwankwaso as one of the most strategic and influential political leaders in the country today.
The movement added: “It is also important to remind the public that Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa was never at any point an official spokesperson of the New Nigeria Peoples Party or the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
“He merely served as media aide and spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf during his political journey in both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later the NNPP.
“Therefore, it is dishonest and misleading for him to present himself as someone with knowledge of internal consultations, strategic discussions, or high-level political negotiations involving Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya leadership.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Sunusi Bature lacks the standing, authority, and proximity to speak on matters concerning the political decisions, alliances, or consultations of the movement.”
The Kwankwasiyya Movement dismissed claims made by Bature, describing his comments as misleading.
The National Coordinator of the Movement, Mohammed, insisted in an interview with journalists that Sanusi Bature lied on national television on several issues, including claims about Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s political decisions and alliances.
He also rejected suggestions that Kwankwaso is politically isolated.
“Let me start by responding to the fact that he is claiming that my boss is alone. I don’t think we even need to answer that,” Habeeb said.
According to him, recent political developments in Kano show that Kwankwaso remains a dominant force in the state.
“In Kano, even with ADC, and most recently when we shifted to NDC, my boss has virtually become the centre of politics. The ADC is completely dead in Kano simply because my boss left,” he said.
He also argued that Kwankwaso still commands massive public support, saying crowds follow him wherever he goes.
According to him, no instruction was ever given by Kwankwaso for anyone to negotiate political deals on his behalf. “My leader did not ask or instruct anybody to negotiate anything. “He is going to be on a ticket that will challenge the existence of the APC government,” he added.
He concluded that the Kwankwasiyya Movement would not be distracted by what he described as propaganda and political distractions.
