Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has been advised to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision on his appeal appealing his dismissal rather than waste taxpayers’ money on protests.
Ilyasu Kwankwaso, an All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain and cousin of Rabi’u Kwankwaso, national head of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), made the call in Kano.
Ilyasu accused the NNPP-led Kano government of utilizing public monies to fund sympathy protests over the Kano governorship election.
He recommended Governor Yusuf and the NNPP to instead await the Supreme Court’s decision.
Speaking to journalists at Kano Press Centre on Thursday, Kwankwaso, who also served as Commissioner for Rural Development under former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, said that with the unfolding events in Kano, following the Appeal Court in Abuja’s confirmation of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Judgement sacking Governor Yusuf, “it has become pertinent to draw public attention towards some important issues.”
He recalled that the APC was proclaimed the winner of the March 18th, 2023 Governorship Election by the Elections Petitions Tribunal, and that its gubernatorial candidate, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, was declared the legitimately elected Governor of Kano state.
Kwankwaso went on to say that the Appeal Court reaffirmed the same decision, as well as the decision proclaiming Governor Yusuf to be a non-member of the NNPP when he ran for governor of the state.
He added that: “These judgements were passed in accordance with the constitutional provisions and Electoral Act as amended.
“Not happy with the judgement, the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement have engaged in massive propaganda, thereby insulting the judiciary and trying to instigate political violence in Kano.
“They have spread false claims that Kano state is facing serious tension by funding patches of protests and rallies across the metropolis.
“This is in violation of the Peace Accord that was signed at the Police Command recently part of which has banned such public assemblies.”
According to him, “The peace and tranquillity enjoyed in Kano, with everyone going about their daily business, is a testament that it is not true that there is any tension in the state. It is the sponsored protests that are used to falsely create a picture of crises in the state.
“In the meantime, the NNPP is wasting Kano’s meagre resources, chasing shadows by taking political issues that are rooted in the Nigerian Laws to ECOWAS, EU, US and other places instead of waiting for the decision of the Supreme Court of the land.
“The worst part of this is that the NNPP is not allowing the teeming masses to rest again, after demolishing their billions of Naira worth of property illegally, they are now sponsoring innocent youths to cause tension and chaos in the state
“The Kano people cannot be cajoled using sponsored protests because they believe that it is Allah that gives power to whom He wishes and takes it from whom He wishes, and if He takes it from Abba Kabir Yusuf and gives it to Nasiru Yusu Gawuna, so be it.
” These protests are stage-managed and deliberately intended to create tension in the state and make it look like all is not well.
“The people of Kano are with APC and with Gawuna and Ganduje. We won the election and the court detected the invalid votes they mischievously placed during the polls and cancelled them and our was returned to us.
“All the protests they are staging are fake and with the deliberate intention of heating the polity and creating undue tension where there is none.
“Everyone is going about his daily business except those paid crowds trying to create tension. After all, who will come out to protest because the court has sacked Abba, after demolishing their property?
“This is just a sign that the end has come for them, that is why they are all over the place trying to create unnecessary tension.
“I would like to use this forum to extend our gratitude to the people of Kano state for their support and patience. I call on all and sundry to be calm and law-abiding as we await the judgement of the Supreme Court which we believe Insha Allah will be in our favour.”