His PDP rival Abba Kabir Yusuf is the son-in-law of a popular grassroots figure former governor now Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso...
Although the ruling party has broadly united behind Buhari's candidacy – all the serious challengers such as Sokoto governor Aminu Tambuwal and the former state governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and Bukola Saraki (Kwara) have defected to the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) – there are big political fights at state level...
However Governor Tambuwal of Sokoto and former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso have defected to the PDP and although they probably will not deliver a win for Atiku in their states they may well keep the APC machine from inflating the numbers and deliver the 25% that Atiku needs as well as possibly winning gubernatorial races there...
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Former APC governor of Kano and Defence Minister Rabiu Kwankwaso also defected to the PDP (AC Vol 54 No 14 The governors and the insurgency)...
Led by Alhaji Buba Galadima a strong Buhari supporter since 2003 it is said to have the backing of former governor of Kano and now Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara...
With luminaries such as Bukola Saraki now Senate President Yakubu Dogara Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as Rabiu Kwankwaso and Olagunsoye Oyinlola the former Governors of Kano and Osun States respectively they formed a powerful faction...
Others in the frame are Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso ex-governor of Kano and Aminu Tambuwal governor of Sokoto...
That party explains why many think that some other top APC politicians such as former governor of Kano State Rabiu Kwankwaso and the speaker of the national House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal might be tempted to defect to the PDP where they think they could more easily pick up the presidential nomination...
All the likely successors to Buhari – Senate President Bukola Saraki former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai – will bide their time in 2018...
Two contestants are already lining up for that contest: the former Governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar are both preparing ill-concealed bids for the presidency...