Kano re-run: Why Abba Yusuf, Kwankwaso cancelled visit to Gama ward
NEWS DIGEST – Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Abba Kabir-Yusuf have reportedly shelved their planned visit to Gama Ward, Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state today (Thursday).
Daily Nigerian Newspaper gathered that the decision was arrived at following an intelligence report at the disposal of the PDP which alleged that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had deployed thugs to attack Mr Kwankwaso, the PDP governorship candidate and their supporters.
It was also gathered that the planned violence was carefully orchestrated to portray the present Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammad Wakili’s failure to secure the state.
However, it was observed that the people of Gama had been trooping to Mr Kwankwaso’ residence in Kano in solidarity for the forthcoming rerun election in some select areas in the state.
“We have shelved the planned visit to Gama Ward, following intelligence report that Ganduje has deployed thugs to attack RMK in order to portray it as CP Wakili’s failure to secure Kano. However, the people of Gama have been trooping to RMK’s residence,” an insider in the Kwankwasiyya movement stated.
According to one of the supporters of the PDP in the state, who is simply identified as Dadiyata, on Twitter, quoted Mr Kwankwaso as saying: “Our political ambition is not worth a single drop of blood of any Kano citizen.”
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Recall that Gama Ward is one of the largest wards in which a rerun election is slated.
The ward, which has over 47,000 registered voters, is believed to be a stronghold area of the PDP in the state.
Following the declaration of elections in the state as inconclusive, the PDP candidate Kabir-Yusuf as well as the incumbent governor in the state and All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate, Abdullahi Ganduje, have been rallying around the ward with a viewing to wooing voters ahead of the March 23 date of rerun elections.
To this end, Mr Ganduje had swiftly hit the ground running by embarking on road construction projects, borehole drilling and women and youth empowerment initiative in the ward.
However, the state Commissioner for Information, Mohammed Garba, had said there was nothing wrong for the government to do anything that is not illegal in order to score political mileage.
Though he attributed the undertaking of the projects as purely coincidental, having earlier awarded the projects, he said it was the elections that affected the implementation of the initial plan of starting three weeks ago.
“Personally, I don’t think there is anything wrong with this. Whatever a politician would do to get the support of the people, provided it is going to benefit the people, I don’t see anything wrong with that,” he said.
“If that project is for the benefit of the people of Gama, and part of strategy, the government decides to execute it at this material time, personally I didn’t see anything wrong,” he said.
Details later.
