DSP Barau : A Symbol of Personal Durability
By Abba Anwar
It is not the Deputy Senate President, Distinguished Senator Barau I. Jibrin’s (CFR) Achilles’ Heel, the recent manifestations and revealing of some hitherto hidden faces, who pretended to be invisible, when it comes to political choice and support, in the internal party arrangement.
Other All Progressives Congress (APC) heavyweights in Kano state, both elected and appointed elements, old guards and new entrants, alongside passers-by, have been singing the song of unity and purposeful leadership. Hence, the consecutive, perhaps excessive, stakeholders meetings, day in day out.
It appears recently, that, castigating Senator Barau becomes the beginning of “wisdom,” within APC’s rank and file. At the leadership or upper level, double standard in engaging with the DSP, is regarded as creation of a political corridor for democratic safe landing. No matter what that means.
Part of my worries in Kano APC is, for how long will both leaders and lead, continue to deceive themselves and waste most of their energies in debating who becomes governor come 2027? Most annoying part of it is, none of the proponents of such debates, believe in the most important aspect of democratic rule. That is, the parliament/legislative arm.
It was similar lackadaisical attitude, that gave former President Muhammadu Buhari, tough time in dealing with the legislative arm during his first tenure, in the hand of the then Senate President, Bukola Saraki. His was not even like what is obtained in the current Kano politics, APC at his time had the needed majority in the Senate, yet Buhari ruled in thorny and turbulent path, when Saraki was the captain.
In case of Kano, presently, all efforts are geared towards who becomes governor come 2027. As if all other positions are mere attachments. If care is not taken, this avoidable internal crisis, will continue to consume the party in the state, for eternity. Yes, political eternity.
To me, stakeholders meetings alone cannot bring the needed solution. Sometimes, such meetings are only drivers for making wounds to remain fresh. Lamentations upon lamentations, among leaders and rank and file. Only lamentations without proffering solutions. The bitter truth.
Before the current stakeholders meetings taking place, in a staggered form, there was a stakeholders meeting that took place here in Kano, under the leadership of the former Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. At that meeting, so-called reconciliation committees were raised and dispatched to all the three Senatorial Districts of the state.
Even if there are findings or reports from those committees, the reports were only available within leaders themselves. While no one heard of anything again. Either progressive report or final report of those committees. And another stakeholders meetings now taking place. Efforts replication or impregnating the party with excess, but mutilated luggage.
To me personally, the way such stakeholders meetings are designed, is not even necessary. They seem to appear, as if the party or some individuals within the leadership cadre of the party, either with genuine honesty or with a double standard posture or both, want to use such meetings to ascertain the overall leadership position of the former Governor, Ganduje.
They should not pretend to know that, none of the APC heavyweights in the state, see another person, not Ganduje, as the leader of the party in the state. They all believe Ganduje is the one and only Jagora. So there is no need for re-engaging and re-routing of their brains to accept that. They all have that from the bottom of their hearts. No doubt about this.
Is it DSP Barau or Senator Abdurrahman Kawu Sumaila or Hon Alassan Ado Doguwa or Honorable Ministers from Kano or HE former Deputy governor, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna or HE Murtala Sule Garo, running mate to Gawuna during 2023 guber poll or Senator Bashir Lado or Baffa Babba Dan Agundi or other dignitaries, that does not accept Ganduje to be the only leader (jagora) in Kano APC?
So if and only if, stakeholders meetings are organized to restate and remind party members that Dr Ganduje is still the leader of APC in Kano, please such efforts should be redirected for other aspects needing more attention. Almost all APC big shots in Kano, believe that, only Ganduje can be a rallying point. So people’s insistence of his leadership position and role is only repetitive of the obvious.
It is not the intention of this piece to discuss arguments, debates and near fracas, that are taking place in the current stakeholders meetings in the state. But let me observe that, some of the actions taken either by individuals or as collective efforts, are only pointers to the fact that, APC was left without any care after the Supreme Court judgement of 2023 guber race in the state.
Apart from fueling internal crisis of Kano APC, without any concrete and genuine cause to mend fences, stakeholders meeting remains a talk-shop. This is my personal opinion. I ask, how different is the current stakeholders meeting and the one held just few weeks ago?
I think if stakeholders meeting cannot find a way out from some short term, medium term and long term persisting hiccup, then we should all wait for the natural fate.
What arrangement, design or plan such meetings have for the following situations in Kano APC:
1. The treatment that forced Kawu Sumaila, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum and co, to leave and fought APC and emerged victorious in 2023, is avoided in 2027,
2. What arrangement does APC’s stakeholders meetings have to avert the inevitable struggle for influence between Nasiru Aliko Koki and Hon Ali Sani Madakin Gini come 2027? I’m from Dala local government. Therefore I know exactly what I am saying.
3. In a situation when any one of the gubernatorial aspirants gets endorsement from above? Or when some big shots from within and/or outside APC, very close to the leader, Ganduje, begs him for a favour to endorse their aspirant for guber race, what plan do stakeholders meetings have for this situation, when it arises?
4. When majority party members and other non-partisan electorate insist on a repeat of 2023 gubernatorial ticket of Gawuna – Garo, what stakeholders meetings have in the offing in dealing with this situation?
5. What if Garo indicates interest openly in gubernatorial contest and refuses to be settled with a running mate position? What stakeholders meeting is planning ahead of time?
6. What exactly is the position of persistent stakeholders meetings in the issue of Fa’izu Alfindiki and Adamu Unguwar Gini stark political misunderstanding? Or between Alfindiki and Mutari Ishaq Yakasai, if it still exists?
7. What assurance can we get from the stakeholders meetings on reconciling the tension between Hafizu Kawu and Nasiru Ja’oji from Tarauni local government? While the promoters of discordant tunes among these gentlemen are not from Tarauni.
8. What exactly are all the stakeholders meetings doing in re-addressing, re-orienting, re-directing, re-engineering, re-constructing, reshaping and re-energizing the minds of APC leadership and followership at the state level, local government level, wards level and down to chapters, to clearly understand grades and results of political opposition?
I call DSP Barau the SYMBOL OF PERSONAL DURABILITY simply because, none of the known gubernatorial aspirants gets open aspersions, crude hatred, ploys, being faced with drivers of naked political wounds and uninterrupted false accusations of all kind, but yet, he waxes stronger inch by inch. He remains as humble as clean water. Some see him as a conveyor belt to victory, come 2027.
Anwar writes from Kano
Monday, 24th November, 2025