Former United States lawmaker Mike Arnold has voiced strong opposition to any presidential ticket featuring former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso. This comes after former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Kwankwaso recently defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), aiming to secure the party's presidential nomination.
Arnold's Criticism of Kwankwaso
In a Facebook post, Arnold stated that he is against Kwankwaso running alongside Obi because of Kwankwaso's close association with the Sultan of Sokoto. Arnold criticized Kwankwaso's frequent party switching, noting that he has remained loyal to the throne throughout his political career.
Arnold recounted that when the future Sultan was a senior officer of an OIC nation operating in the shadows during the war on terror, his assignment from the Nigerian government took him to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. These countries are described as active jihadi theaters of the post-9/11 era. Arnold claimed that only the President and Kwankwaso, who served as Defence Minister at the time, knew of these activities.
Allegations of Cover-ups
Arnold pointed out that shortly after the now-Sultan returned from this post in 2006, ten reform-minded generals of the Nigerian Army died in a plane crash. He alleged that the committee Obasanjo had assembled to clean up the military was wiped out in that flight. Weeks later, the sitting Sultan, his son and heir Senator Badamasi Maccido, and several grandchildren died in another plane crash. The Abuja airport radar was reportedly turned off when their plane went down, and the Aviation Minister declared it pilot error within 24 hours. The future Sultan was turbaned four days later, skipping past surviving adult sons and older brothers.
Arnold further claimed that terrorist groups from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia began appearing in Nigeria shortly after, where they have been slaughtering Christians. He noted that Kwankwaso was the Defence Minister during these events.
Kwankwaso's Record as Governor
Arnold highlighted that as Governor of Kano State, Kwankwaso formally declared Sharia law on June 21, 2000, and established the Hisbah Board, a religious enforcement agency that has been arresting residents for improper dress and indecent mixing of sexes. He lost his re-election in 2003 for being insufficiently Islamic for the Kano clerical establishment.
When he returned as Kano Governor from 2011 to 2015, he faced allegations of misappropriating roughly N10 billion in pension contributions from Kano state workers. The EFCC interrogated him in 2021 and sealed his property, but the investigation stalled. A separate panel found that the EFCC chairman at the time had directed operatives not to investigate Kwankwaso.
Current Controversies
Arnold noted that Kwankwaso's nephew, Musa Garba, is under criminal investigation in Kano for a multi-billion-naira pharmaceutical procurement fraud allegedly tied to a contract awarded without due process. Kwankwaso is publicly accused of interfering with the investigation to protect himself.
Arnold concluded by stating his active opposition to any ticket with Kwankwaso, regardless of who is at the top. He urged Peter Obi to pick a running mate who is not a puppet of the Sultan if he wants Arnold's open mind.
