From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
In a very simple lexical term, a dynasty is a line of hereditary rulers of a town, state or country. At the heart of most dynasties- although there are other characteristics- is a succession arrangement, which places premium on governance by a people of the same lineage or family in an order that is predetermined and predictable.
In history, there was the Mauryan dynasty, which was founded by Chandragupta Maurya between 325- 185 BCE in the sub- continent of India. There was also the fairly recent Ottoman dynasty, founded in 1299 by Osman, a tribal Turkish leader, which lasted for about 600 years and survived till the end of the World War 1.
Kano State, the political capital of Northern Nigeria, is on the path of reenacting a similar history. Recent political development in the ancient city has a signature of the humble beginning of a new political dynasty, different from the monarchial political structure founded by Usman Dan-fodio that has been producing its emirs.
A few days ago, the son of the former Governor of the state and the leader of the Kwankwassiyya super – structure, Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was nominated for the post of a commissioner in the state.
Mustapha, whose father is the leader of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and the most influential element in the leadership of the state, was eventually cleared by the Kano State House of Assembly a few days ago.
However, his appointment has sparked off a wave of high tempered political debate in the ancient city–state. The debate which has been raging among political scholars and critical stakeholders centered largely on the propriety or otherwise of his appointment given that his father is already closely related the Governor of the state.
Another aspect of the debate is the fear that his appointment is a signature that the Kwankwaso lineage might directly or indirectly hold on to power for a long time to come .
A political scholar who sought not to be mentioned for the safety of his job, argued that, “We must not ignore the fact that this is the early days in an attempt to control power by a single family or associates of the same political group”
“It is an open secret that Kwankwaso is very influential in the present administration. He has been pivotal to its conception, electoral victory, appointments, policy selection and policy implementation.
“It is also incontestable that Kwankwaso is closely related to the state governor by marriage. The governor is his in-law. The political permutation is that Mustapha will be nursed in the act of governance and will come of age by 2031. By this time, he will be 47.
“With the Kwankwaso that we know, chances are high that he will ensure that Mustapha, his son, succeeds the present arrangement or becomes the running mate to the governorship candidate of the party in the general elections, ” he speculated.
“Should that happen, it means that the governance of the state would have resided within the same clan or family for about 16 years or more, and will remain there for a longer time, depending on how Mustapha plays his cards in the years to come” he stated.
“But like I said, these are all potential possibilities. They are not yet realities. The future, especially in politics is often bounded by uncertainties. Anything can still happen to change these calculations”, he concluded.
Born on March 24, 1984 in Kwankwaso village in Madobi Local Government Area of the state, where he completed his primary and secondary school education, Mustapha completed his post- secondary education at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus.
Justifying his appointment into the cabinet, the spokesperson of the Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa held that he was highly qualified to come on board at this time.
He noted that his father, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had promoted hundreds of thousands of young men and women from the state, many of whom were sons and daughters of commoners.
“He promoted children of nobody to become somebody in the eyes of world today and he also created platforms and political spaces for many of us from humble backgrounds to occupy various elective and appointed positions at the local, state and federal levels” he argued.
“Yesterday, one of Kwankwaso’s beneficiaries, the Executive Governor of Kano, Abba Kabiru Yusuf decided to promote the son of his benefactor, not really as a payback but because Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso is among the capable youth, who worked tirelessly hard for the success of the present administration in Kano State” he noted.
He observed that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has been empowering youth in the state since he came on board, adding that he has created a platform for them to explore their potential, insisting that “Certainly Mustapha cannot be an exception due to his paternal history.”
He added that his being a son of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso must not be an obstacle or a barrier to his opportunities and political uplifting, especially as he has decided to be a politician like his father.
Another prominent beneficiary of the scholarship programme of Kwankwaso years ago, Abdulahi Umar Fagge argued that going by the constitution of Nigeria, Mustapha is qualified to be appointed a Commissioner in the state.
“He is a graduate, he is 40 and he has no record of any irregularity that should disqualify him from any political appointment in the state. So what is their problem?
“Those people making noise are ignorant of the law or are just being mischievous, malicious and empty at the same time. I am very sure they belonged to our arch rival in the APC, who do not see anything good in whatever we do. Too bad”, he stated.
Speaking to Daily Sun however, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Aminu Saidu Beli countered him on the ground that, “the issue in contest is not whether Mustapha by right of the constitution is qualified to be appointed or not.
“It is not an eligibility contest for which we all know he is duly qualified. But it is about certain higher values and certain moral claims which true leaders of democracy and true democrats must exemplify and demonstrate to the people they lead.
“Once a leader appears to be thinking of his own perpetuation in power- perpetuation by proxies such as in-law, son, daughter or whatever- he loses certain moral high grounds. That is the center of the present debate” he stated.
Beli stressed that he was surprised at the fact that the leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) would embark on the same disastrous mission of appointing his relative to public post, despite the fact that he had been condemning the same political behaviour and altitude.
He recalled that Kwankwaso had condemned his political senior, the former Minister of foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, when his son, Sadiq was appointed to serve as Commissioner under Ganduje.
“On this occasion, he had argued that leading politicians should not allow their sons to assume positions in government” he stated.
“The same Kwankwaso had frowned at the former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido when his son was elected to contest the governorship position in Jigawa State.
Kwankwaso had severally shaded former Governor Ganduje for involving his family members in public life in the state” he stated.
On these occasions, he had insisted that these political leaders were championing nepotism and abusing the privileges of their offices to have recruited their relatives or influenced the appointment of their relatives into public office.
“It is surprising, therefore, that given his stringent position on this issue, he would allow his son to be appointed a commissioner in a government where he is the holder of power.
“A very important aspect of public outrage is that unlike the children of those that he had publicly criticized, Mustapha has no record of previous partisanship in the state or elsewhere. No experience. Where was Mustapha in the last elections or the one before last? Which political party in Kano had he ever featured before the coming to this appointment? These are cogent questions”, he said.
Beli however said that despite all these maneuvers and grandstanding, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state would make the likelihood of any attempt at succession of members of one family an impossibility, adding that they were already mobilizing to take over power from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) come next elections.