Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to take note of the mass appeal of former Governor of Kano, Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso ahead of the 2019 presidential primary of the party.
Fani-Kayode said this while reacting to the mammoth gathering at Kwankwaso’s presidential declaration in Abuja on Wednesday.
Kwankwaso, who was denied the use of the Eagles Square by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), declared his ambition to seek the PDP’s presidential ticket at a rally at Chida Hotel, Abuja.
The huge crowd that showed up at the hotel compromised the “Kwankwasiyya”, Kwankwaso’s fanatical supporters who donned identical red caps to their leader’s.
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Recall that the FCTA had claimed that it denied Kwankwaso the use of the Eagle’s Square because of the traffic jam likely to be caused as Wednesday is a workday.
Fani-Kayode tweeted, “The crowd that @RabiuKwankwaso pulled in Abuja yesterday was massive and unprecedented. He brought the city to a standstill with a sea of Kwankwassiya red caps. Few have his fanatical support base. The truth is that the @OfficialPDPNig needs Kwankwaso as much as he needs them.”
See tweet:
The crowd that @RabiuKwankwaso pulled in Abuja yesterday was massive and unprecedented. He brought the city to a standstill with a sea of Kwankwassiya red caps. Few have his fanatical support base. The truth is that the @OfficialPDPNig needs Kwankwaso as much as he needs them.
— Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) August 30, 2018
Meanwhile, Senate President Bukola Saraki has condemned the FCTA’s decision to cancel approval for Kwankwaso’s use of the Eagle’s Square after initially granting him permission.
In a statement through his spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said that the FCTA’s sudden reversal showed the state of the nation’s democracy.
“ The refusal to allow Senator Kwankwaso to utilise the Eagle Square for his presidential declaration, despite an earlier approval , sends a wrong message about our democracy , particularly the tolerance level in our politics .
“ That square belongs to all Nigerians because it was built with public funds . We hope this is not what we will be seeing as we approach the 2019 General Elections, ” Saraki was quoted as saying in the Wednesday statement.