Kwankwaso calls on Kano governor to refrain from wasting money on demonstrations

The governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, has been advised not to waste tax dollars on protests but to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision on his appeal contesting his dismissal.

The call was made in Kano by All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain Ilyasu Kwankwaso, who is also the cousin of Rabi’u Kwankwaso, the national head of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Ilyasu charged that the government of Kano, which is governed by the NNPP, was financing protests of sympathy for the Kano governorship contest with public monies.

He suggested waiting for the Supreme Court’s decision instead of advising Governor Yusuf and the NNPP.

Read Also: Kano governor urged by APC’s Kwankwaso to embrace defeat and get ready for 2027

Speaking to media on Thursday at the Kano Press Centre, Kwankwaso, who previously worked for former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau as Commissioner for Rural Development, stated that given the current events in Kano and the confirmation of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Judgement dismissing Governor Yusuf by the Appeal Court in Abuja, “it has become pertinent to draw public attention towards some important issues.”

The APC was proclaimed the victor of the March 18, 2023, governorship election by the Elections Petitions Tribunal, and its candidate for governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, was pronounced the lawful governor of Kano state.

Kwankwaso added that the Appeal Court upheld both the ruling stating that Governor Yusuf was not a member of the NNPP at the time he ran for governor of the state and the same judgement.

He went on, “These rulings were made in compliance with the amended Electoral Act and the provisions of the Constitution.”

Disappointed with the ruling, the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement have resorted to extensive propaganda, demeaning the legal system and attempting to incite political unrest in Kano.

They have funded isolated protests and rallies across the city, spreading rumours that there is severe tension in Kano State.

“This is against the terms of the Peace Accord, which forbade these kinds of public gatherings and was recently signed at the Police Command.”

He said, “It is untrue that there is tension in the state because of the calm and tranquilly experienced in Kano, where everyone is going about their everyday lives. The state is being misrepresented as having crises thanks to the sponsored protests.

Instead of waiting for the ruling of the nation’s Supreme Court, the NNPP is squandering Kano’s limited resources and chasing shadows by pursuing political disputes that have their roots in Nigerian law to the ECOWAS, EU, US, and other international forums.

The NNPP’s sponsorship of innocent teenagers to incite unrest and turmoil in the state is the worst aspect of this, as they are not letting the swarming crowds rest again after illegally demolishing billions of Naira’s worth of property.

The Kano people refuse to be persuaded by sponsored protests because they think that power belongs to Allah, who can give it to or take it from whoever He pleases. If that happens to be Nasiru Yusu Gawuna and not Abba Kabir Yusuf, then so be it.

These protests are stage-managed with the specific goal of inciting unrest and giving the impression that everything is amiss in the state.

Kano residents support Ganduje, Gawuna, and the APC. The votes they had secretly cast at the polls were deemed invalid by the court, who then returned the ballots to us after we had won the election.

“They are staging all of these fake protests with the specific goal of inflaming political tensions and creating unwarranted anxiety where none exists.”

“Everyone is going about their daily business, with the exception of those paid mobs who are attempting to incite conflict. Who, after all, is going to go up and demonstrate because the court fired Abba and destroyed their property?

“This simply indicates that their time is running out, which is why they are attempting to incite unwarranted tension everywhere they go.

Using this forum, I would want to thank the people of Kano State for their patience and support. As we wait for the Supreme Court’s decision, which we hope will be in our favour, I urge everyone to be composed and obedient to the law.