Quit Now If You Wish, Ganduje Tells His Deputy

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Wednesday expressed great shock over what it described as unguarded remarks by the state Deputy Governor, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, who alleged that his life and that of his immediate family members are threatened.

Ganduje, in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Malam Muhammad Garba,  and made available to journalists on Wednesday, said the fault-finding comments made by Abubakar are not only unwarranted but also unfair to the state government.

According to him, the government holds the office of the deputy governor in high esteem, but however, sees him as too insignificant for government to commit state resources to orchestrate plan just to remove him from office let alone any attempt on his life.

“Rather than making such malicious remarks, the embattled deputy governor is advised to make a choice of quitting or remaining in the government,” the statement noted.

Furthermore, to prove that the allegations made by the deputy governor were false, he was at last Tuesday’s state Executive Council meeting with fewer security aides.

The state government said: “At the meeting, when the governor had to excuse himself to embark on a trip, he directed the deputy governor to preside over as usual, and that  all the resolutions reached at the meeting are binding, something that would not have been accorded him by his political godfather, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,”

Garba pointed out that despite several unguarded comments by the deputy governor, the state government continues to accord respect and support for his office both morally and otherwise.

The statement also debunks allegation that he has not been provided with statutory official residence, pointing out that it was his choice to remain in the private residence as he personally brought the contractor that is handling the construction of his official residence.

Meanwhile, Professor Abubakar had last Monday, petitioned the police and the State Security Service (SSS) over what he described as threat to his life as well as plans to impeach him.

In the petition addressed to the Kano State Police Commissioner, Rabiu Yusuf, which was copied to the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of zone one and the state Director of SSS, the deputy governor prayed for the deployment of more security operatives around him.