Local chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State have distributed new party dresses to members for a planned swearing-in of its candidate, Nasir Gawuna, ahead of the Supreme Court judgement on the governorship election in the state.

The development followed fasting and animal sacrifices observed over the week by members of the APC and those of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the state. The two parties had asked their members to pray for a favourable Supreme Court judgement.

The NNPP called on its members to fast for the success of its candidate and current governor of the state, Abba Yusuf, while supporters of the APC candidate, Nasir Gawuna, engaged in reciting the Qur’an and sacrificing animals at their bases.

Kano, the most populous state in northern Nigeria, is a predominantly Muslim state, and the APC and NNPC have been at loggerheads to govern the state. The NNPP candidate was declared the winner of the March 2023 governorship election in the state, but the APC challenged the declaration and secured victory at the tribunal and the Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court, Nigeria’s highest court, is expected to give a final ruling on the matter this week.

On Sunday, our correspondent saw many members of the APC in Fagge Local Government Area distributing the new dress adorned with President Bola Tinubu’s cap symbol. The party leaders urged members to fast-track sewing the cloth in anticipation of a favourable Supreme Court judgement. Such a dress is popularly called aso-ebi across Nigeria when members of a group agree to wear the same dress for an occasion.

Some of the APC members said that they are confident that the Supreme Court judgement will favour their candidate, just like that of the appeals court.

One of the APC members, Faisal Ibrahim, said he had sewed his clothes waiting for the swearing-in ceremony of Gawuna as the governor of Kano.

“I have finished preparation for the swearing-in ceremony and I am confident of victory because the evidence we (APC) relied upon and won the cases at the Election Petition Tribunal and the Appeal Court are relevant also at the Supreme Court.

“When you follow the evidence tendered by our party at the initial courts from the beginning you will conclude that victory is by our side. This gave me the courage to prepare for the swearing-in ceremony,” Mr Ibrahim, an APC member from the Fagge D1 ward, said.

One of the party leaders in Fagge D1 ward, Ahmad Dangwarzo, said they have distributed many such dresses to their members across the state for the planned swearing-in ceremony of Gawuna.

“The APC leaders across the state are distributing different kinds of clothing in their respective council areas and we are confident of winning at the Supreme Court unless the constitution is changed but nothing will change the judgement of the previous courts,” Dangwarzo said.

Also, the North-west APC supporters group in a statement signed by Abdullahi Ganduje’s former Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, said they have mobilised their followers to welcome Gawuna to the state ahead of the Supreme Court judgement.

“The Director General of the Confederation of APC Support Groups (CASG), Engineer Kailani Muhammad, mobilises APC supporters from across seven North-west states, in anticipation of the judgement favouring All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Engineer Muhammad believes that, without any intent for court contempt, we are hopeful, praying and committed to believing that, the case before the Supreme Court will favour our gubernatorial and deputy gubernatorial candidates, His Excellency Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and His Excellency Murtala Sule Garo respectively.”

“While commending the National Chairman of APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, CON, as one of the main brains and architects behind APC’s victory at the Tribunal and Court of Appeal, the Director General believes that both Gawuna and Garo would be loyal to the National Chairman, the party and democracy in general.

“It is due to our fervent prayers and belief that we are hopefully hopeful that APC will emerge victorious at the Supreme Court. That is why I am saying, on behalf of the members of the Confederation of APC Support Groups that we have started mobilising our members from the North West zone, comprising 7 states, to celebrate and support the upcoming administration of Gawuna-Garo,” Anwar said in the statement.

While the APC members have made arrangements for the swearing-in ceremony of their candidate, the NNPP is yet to reveal its plans.

The Supreme Court has set Friday to rule on the matter.

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Ganduje made this known weekend while speaking in Lafia at the grand reception organized in honour of the Nasarawa State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Aliyu Bello.

According to the APC National Chairman, who was represented at the event by Alhaji Muazu Rijau, National Vice Chairman (North Central), the party would protect its mandate in Nasarawa State.

“We have won the election, and we shall protect our mandate. There is no doubt about it. Nasarawa State belongs to APC, and APC belongs to Nasarawa State. We are in charge, and we will continue to be in charge by the grace of God,” Ganduje stated.

Governor Abdullahi Sule at the occasion, said the APC state chairman stands out as a politician that is capable of providing the necessary leadership for the APC to facilitate for his administration to translate its vision into reality for the state.

According to the Governor, Nasarawa State only began to witness genuine development in 2011 after the coming of the defunct Congress Progressives Change (CPC), which later metamorphosed into the APC.

“The real development that started in Nasarawa State did not start until 2011. It was at the time we started to see resemblance to some kind of development.  Development in education, development in health, development in infrastructure, development in roads. Development in the way forward.”

“In APC we have vision, in APC we have the experience, in APC we have the commitment, in APC we have the love for our state and its people. More importantly, believe it or not, we have the fear of the Almighty Allah in us”

“And that is the reason why since we started, we have seen the development of Nasarawa not only in education, infrastructure, and the rest but we are now having a state in the northern part of the country that has oil in Obi Local Government Area”

“We worked hard to ensure that that oil is drilled. We worked to ensure that more exploration was carried out to discover more oil reserves. We now believe that in the entire northern part of the country, there is no reserve as big as the one in Keana, Obi and Assakio”

In a goodwill message, immediate past governor of the state, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, said considering Aliyu Bello’s trajectory and pedigree, Nasarawa State couldn’t have a better APC Chairman at this time.

“We are very lucky to have at this stage of the development of the party, someone like Aliyu Bello.  This is someone who has cut his teeth in political activities and administration for so many decades. Starting during student life and when he got into the party mainstream, he has always participated as an insider, a team player, a very faithful friend to all and sundry”

To add all, his philanthropic activities will be a plus for his position as the Chairman because it will galvanize support across the board for our party. Aliyu Bello has been an engine room of many political activities with the coming of the APC, Aliyu Bello now became the engine room of APC in Nasarawa State,” the former governor said.

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This new facility will provide state-of-the-art healthcare facilities to the people of Hotoro neighborhoods especially for women and children.

It was put in place by the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs Office in the Presidency and presented for take-over by the State Government which the Ganduje administration promptly agreed to do.

Further, the State Government also agreed with the local community to name the clinic “Fatima Shehu Maimota Clinic,” in honor of the mother of the outgoing Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, a member of the community.

The commissioning ceremony will take place at 2:00pm.

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The Speaker also announced the unanimous decision of the APC caucus to return Hon. Ado Doguwa as House Leader.

Doguwa vacated the seat in November when he was sacked by the Court of Appeal

The inauguration was witnessed by Kano Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Barau Jibril, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, party leaders from Kano and a large number of party faithful.

From the main gate to the entrance into the gallery of the House of Representatives, Doguwa and other lawmakers from Kano state took over the assembly making entrance into the gallery difficult.

Announcing Doguwa as the House Leader, Speaker Gbajabiamila said: “By the unanimous contention and agreement, the APC caucus in the House has agreed to return Hon. Ado Doguwa as the Leader of the House of Representatives”.

The Speaker’s announcement was greeted with wild jubilation by members who had been chanting Leader, Leader, Leader before and immediately after he was sworn in.

Chief Whip Mohammed Tahir Mongunu however moved a motion for Doguwa to resume his seat as House Leader and was seconded by Hon Taiwo Onanuga.

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Shekarau’s media aide, Sule Ya’u Sule said the former governor’s decision to dump PDP was concluded after a heated debates between him and his supporters.

Sule said, “I want confirm to you that Shekarau has decided to defect from PDP to APC due to the injustice meted on him and his supporters by the PDP leadership.

“My boss has met with Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in Abuja yesterday and concluded plans for our return to APC. He will meet with all the stakeholders concern in Kano and than made his decamping public.”

Sule affirmed that there is no way they could remain in PDP watching the national leadership of the party dancing to the tune of Kwankwaso at the detriment of other PDP big wings.

He said Shekarau had made wider consultation among his supporters before he finally returned to his former party.

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Ganduje who was reacting to Kwankwaso’s claim that he can defeat President Buhari should the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) give him ticket in 2019, said Kwankwaso’s political structure has been squarely dismantled in Kano so much that he has lost grip of the realities of Kano politics.

In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba and made available to journalists on Sunday, Ganduje described Kwankwaso as, “a political fugitive who does not have the platform, the intellectual capability and mental ability to manage the affairs of Nigeria.”

“Senator Kwankwaso’s latest utterances have confirmed the fact that he is now a confused politician who is grabbing every opportunity to re-launch himself back to relevance.

“For over three years, he has been sleeping at the Senate without sponsoring even a bill that will positively impact on the lives of Nigerians. This is a clear indication that he has nothing to offer. He is just being boastful.

“For over three years, Kwankwaso has been at the Senate, he has not visited Kano Central, his senatorial district. He has not executed any tangible constituency project for his people.

“Since then, he has not been around and we have been here in Kano playing the game of politics the way it should be done. The good people of Kano are appreciating our modest achievements and they have expressed confidence in us.”

The statement further stated that, “Senator Kwankwaso’s dream to get the PDP presidential ticket remains a tall one that can never see the light of the day because those he is going to meet there are familiar with his antics. They have not forgotten in a hurry, the role he played in destroying the same PDP.

“I am surprised that Kwankawso is now talking about people like Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, a man he persecuted and betrayed in many occasions. I am surprised he is talking about the PDP, a party he destroyed and betrayed many of the chieftains who are still there today to pay him back with his own coin.”

Ganduje insisted that Kwankwaso is no longer relevant in Kano politics, pointing out that, “all his political structure has been completely dismantled.”

“Those who know him will understand that he is overrating himself and cannot be seen as a major contender in the 2019 presidential election. He is a usurper who wants power by all means. Here in Kano, the support for President Buhari and the APC is non-negotiable” Ganduje stated.

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At the ceremony held at Darmanawa Special Primary School in Tarauni local government area, Gov. Ganduje explained that under the scheme, 61 two-storey blocks consisting six classrooms per block, including offices, would be constructed and furnished.

The project will accommodate an estimated 21, 960 pupils, as each classroom will contain 60 pupils.

“Each block will have six classrooms. Each classroom will accommodate 60 pupils, so more opportunity will be provided for our teeming children to attend public schools and enjoy our free education policy”, the governor stated.

He explained further that 20 out of the 60 new blocks to be constructed would be sited in Kano metropolis, while the remaining 41 would be spread across the rural areas of the state, in view of disparity in pupils’ density.

“Presently, we have over 3 million children in public primary school, which is more than the population of some states. Classes, furniture and educational materials are not enough so it is our responsibility to do our best to address this challenge”, Gov. Ganduje emphasized.

While revealing that arrangement was in top gear to access N2.4 billion UBE counterpart fund for the 2017 fiscal year, within the next two weeks, the governor assured that his administration would not relent in expanding access to education for all children in the state.

He appealed to communities, wealthy individuals and corporate bodies to support the government’s stride in the education sector, by providing infrastructure and teaching/learning materials in public schools.

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Speaking at a Two-Day National Conference on the dynamics of democratic practice in Nigeria: 1999-2015, held at the Centre for Democratic Research and Training, Bayero University Kano, Tambuwal stated that each nation practices democracy according to its historical and cultural peculiarities.

He said the people of the country must be constantly carried a long, consulted and their views incorporated.

Governor Tambuwal stressed that power belongs to the people and that elected political office holders are mere caretakers of the estate whose true owners are the people.

He pointed out that it was the right of the people to keep abreast of government policies and programmes and demand explanation for anything they did not understand.

“It is the right of citizens in a democracy to express their views and to make the leaders accountable,” a statement issued in Sokoto Thursday by Tambuwal’s spokesman, Malam Imam Imam, quoted the former Speaker of the House of Representatives as saying.

According to him, there is no power like peoples power, and that once the people unite behind a cause, there is no problem they cannot surmount.

“Such kind of support that led to the victory of APC in the last election,” he added.

On the American election, Tambuwal stated that the election of Donald Trump was a clear evidence of democratic dynamism.

“What we thought would be the outcome of America’s presidential election wasn’t what we woke up to hear and this has clearly shown to all the level of dynamism inherent in democratic system of government,” he said..

In his remarks, Kano state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, stressed the need for respect of the indices of genuine democracy in a way citizens of the country would be made to have a sense of belonging, affirming that the two day conference was poised to address knotty issues.

Ganduje, who was represented by his deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, hailed the wisdom and foresight of the conveners of the conference which he said had come at the time the political class is supposed to grasp the rule of the game on ground.

A Tiv cultural organization from Benue State decorated Tambuwal with traditional attires for his promotion of cultural diversity in the country.

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According to a statement by Malam Muhammad Garba, Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture Kano State on Tuesday, the government said that more worrying and disturbing is the inappropriate handling of the issue by the authorities concerned, including the police and the Department of State Services.

Government particularly mentioned the directive and request by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, that the girl be taken back to Yenogoa and handed over to her parents immediately, since that fateful August when the matter was brought to his attention.

In view of the gravity of the allegation, the need to protect the rights of minors on matters of faith and marriage as well as promote unity and peaceful coexistence among all Nigerians particularly in the face of incorrect, misleading and grossly skewed misrepresentation of the issue and the comments it generated in the mainstream and social media, the government of Kano State, for the purpose of setting the record straight, declares that “The issue was handled with dispatch competently, courageously and with all sense of concern by His Highness, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, since August last year when the case was brought to his attention by ordering that the girl, Ese Oruru, who has never ever been kept under his custody in the Palace, be taken back to her parents in Yenogoa in liaison with the office of the AIG Zone One, Nigeria Police Force.

“He however expressed deep concern, during a recent press briefing, that his directive was not handled accordingly and therefore ordered that an investigation immediately commence on why the directive was not complied with by the office of the AIG.

“The issue was never at any point in time brought to the attention of the State Government by any authority, group or person involved in any capacity in the issue, but only knew of it in the media.

“The State Government condemned in its entirety the actions of the alleged abductor as it is against the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and teachings of Islam which abhor abduction, forced marriage even with the consent of parents of a girl be her a minor or adult, and forced conversion to Islam as the Quran categorically states that ‘there is no compulsion in religion’.

“Security and other relevant agencies should expedite action to bring the suspect(s) to book and be dealt with according to the law;

“Condemned any statement by any person, group or organization linking Kano State Government with the alleged abduction, forced marriage and conversion to Islam of the girl. Such unfounded, untrue, misguided and mischievous allegations being circulated in the mainstream and social media platforms are only meant to discredit and tarnish the good image of Kano State Government, its people and the personality of His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

“The Government has no prior knowledge of the issue before it becomes public; it has no connection whatsoever with the suspected culprit; it has never condone such actions and will never do so now or in the future.

“The actions of the suspected culprit are private action of an individual which he carries personal responsibility even before the law. It is therefore unfortunate and unjustifiable to attempt to link an unlawful action of only one person to the Government and over 15million people of the state. The person is solely responsible for his action and should take responsibility for it.

“The State Government has a very cordial relationship with the indigenous people and Governments of Bayelsa and Delta States and will continue to do whatever possible to promote that.

“Kano indigenes living in these states and other states across the country are enjoined, as always, to live peacefully with their host communities and respect their ways of life and the Constitution of our great country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement said.

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The traditional ruler disclosed this on Friday during a one-day Inter-Religious and Community Conference organised by Kano State government with the theme: “Towards Strengthening Interfaith and Community Relations for Harmony, Peace and Sustainable Development, held at Coronation Hall, Government House in Kano.

While addressing the delegation of religious leaders, he said “I renovated the said church to help avoid a situation where a Christian believer might feel offended and his religion disrespected.”

The former CBN governor went on to request all adherents of the two major religions in the country to respect each other’s faith to avoid future religious disharmony in the state and the country at large.

The chief host of the event and Kano State governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in his remarks, disclosed that research has shown that most of the religious conflicts experienced in the country were in one way or the other triggered by elites who are bent on dividing following of the different religions.

He observed that both the Islamic and Christian faiths demand followers to live in peace and preach peace, stressing that neither of the scriptures of the two religions advocate violence.

Ganduje charged the participants, which included the state CAN chairman, Ransome Bello as well as other Christians and Muslims clerics, to put what they have learnt from the conference into practice.

Expressing optimism that the people of Nigeria will embrace each other irrespective of religious convictions, Ganduje revealed that his administration decided to convene the conference in view of the fact that Kano is adjudged to be a state that is truly cosmopolitan in nature.

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