From Edwin Olofu Kano
Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has lambasted his Deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar over an unfounded allegation of threat to his life and that of members of his immediate family, urging him to quit or remain in the government.
A statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Malam Muhammad Garba stated that the vituperations made by the deputy governor are not only unwarranted but also unfair to the state government.
The embattled deputy governor has petitioned security agencies in the state, raising allegations of threat to his life and that of his family by the state government.
Hafiz Abubakar, in the petition, further alleged that the state government was orchestrating his impeachment from office.
The statement advised the embattled deputy governor to make a choice of quitting or remaining in the government.
He said even though the government holds the office of the Deputy Governor with high esteem, it, however, sees him as too insignificant for government to commit state resources to orchestrate plan to remove him from office, talk less of any attempt on his life.
According to the statement, to prove that the allegations made by the deputy governor were false, he was at today’s state Executive Council Meeting, and he came with fewer security aides.
“At the meeting, when His Excellency 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 Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso,’’ the statement adds.
Malam Garba pointed out that despite several unguarded comments by the deputy governor, the government continues to accord respect and support for his office both morally and otherwise.
The statement debunked 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, the police in Kano, through its spokesman Musa Magaji Majiya, said they have beefed up security around the Deputy Governor following the complaint he lodged.
