Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State has declared his interest to vie for the presidential race in next year’s general elections on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that he would only do so if the party leadership finds him suitable to contest the polls.
Kwankwaso, who spoke Monday in an interview with journalists, affirmed his willingness to take up the task with all sense of responsibility to deliver good governance in the country.
Kwankwaso noted: “Why not. I would not hesitate to pick up the presidential ticket under our party, APC to vie for the number one seat. And if our party and the party leadership find me suitable for the seat why not, I will take up the challenge.”
Kwankwaso while accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of smuggling a new constitution into the on-going National Conference, insisted that the divide and rule style of the president was geared towards his becoming a life President.
Kwankwaso, stressed that it will be harmful for the country to extend the term of office of the President from the proposed single term to eight years by 2015 when the new constitution if endorsed will become operational.
He further alleged that all the injustices perpetrated by the president were “deliberately targeted at the APC states just to destabilise us and so to achieve his inordinate ambition of becoming the life President.”
“Nigerians are not fools. We are aware of the President’s new plans and agenda. The plan was to secure another fresh eight-year mandate in 2015, all in a bid to perpetrate himself in power and eventually achieve his life ambition.
‘‘What Nigerians need now is positive change, and not the kind of game being played by the President and with the way things are going, we would continue to pray that the President to sail the ship to shore in 2015 and that the crisis in the country do not degenerate into religious war,” Kwankwaso added.
On the National Conference, Kwankwaso maintained that he was opposed to the conference, as it is tantamount to share waste of resources, adding that what the country needed for now, more than anything else is fair distribution of resources.
The governor bemoaned what he called interference from above, particularly in Rivers, Adamawa and lately in Kano State when the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor was announced as new Emir of Kano.
He further accused the Federal Government of causing chaos and spearheading the recent protest that greeted the appointment of Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi 11 as the new Emir of Kano.
