Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, has been called upon to wait for Supreme Court’s judgement on his appeal challenging his sack instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on protests.
Ilyasu Kwankwaso, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and cousin to the national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabi’u Kwankwaso, made the call in Kano.
Ilyasu accused the NNPP-led Kano government of using government funds to sponsor sympathy protests over the Kano governorship tussle.
He advised Governor Yusuf and the NNPP to rather wait for the Supreme Court verdict.
Addressing journalists at Kano Press Centre on Thursday, Kwankwaso who also served as Commissioner for Rural Development under former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, said with the unfolding events in Kano, following the affirmation of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Judgement sacking Governor Yusuf by the Appeal Court in Abuja, “it has become pertinent to draw public attention towards some important issues.”
He recalled that the APC was declared winner of the March 18th 2023 Governorship Election by the Elections Petitions Tribunal and its gubernatorial candidate, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna announced as the duly elected Governor of Kano state.
Kwankwaso further stated that the same judgement was reaffirmed by the Appeal Court in addition to the judgement declaring Governor Yusuf as not being a member of the NNPP when he contested for Governorship 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