With Over N500Billion Liability, Debt, Ganduje’s Penchant For Corruption Brought Shame To Kano –Governor Yusuf

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has lambasted his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje in his reply to the latter’s claims that the governor is a failure.

Ganduje is the current National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

A statement issued by Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, had urged Governor Yusuf to focus his energy on governing the state effectively and alleviating the suffering of Kano people instead of filing trumped-up charges against him.

Last week, Kano State government inaugurated two Judicial Commissions of Inquiry (JCIs) on cases of misappropriation of public property, political violence and missing persons in the State between 2015 to 2023. The panels will probe the administration of Ganduje and a member of the House of Representatives representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada federal constituency of the state, Ado Doguwa, who was accused of masterminding the killing of some members of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in 2023.

But Governor Yusuf in a statement signed by his spokesman, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, titled, “You have no shame to speak on failures after 8 years of misrule – Gov. Yusuf counters Ganduje…Urges EFCC to release forensic report on Ganduje’s dollar saga,” lambasted his predecessor.

The statement reads: “Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has replied his predecessor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, over his claims of failure in governance in the current administration, insisting that Ganduje’s eight-year tenure represented failure and maladministration, following massive records of corruption, diversion of public funds and sale of government properties that characterized it.

“Governor Yusuf regretted that Ganduje shamelessly spoke about non-existent failure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) government, instead of facing the nemesis of corruption and political violence hanging around his neck.

“Governor Yusuf insisted that Ganduje presided over two unproductive tenures characterised with siphoning public resources, inability to cater for the needs of Kano’s population, nepotism and bloodshed that left many families the mood of melancholy.

‘He said our eight months in office has remarkably outweighed Ganduje’s eight wasted years of political caricature and maladministration by all standards.

“He advised the acting National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) and the immediate-past Governor of the state, Abdullah Umar Ganduje to rather buckle up in defence of his battered image at the court, instead of further exposing his impunity on the media space.

“He reminded Ganduje how his gross penchant for corruption has brought shame and disgrace to the good people of Kano, insisting that no amount of media campaign would hinder the process of bringing him (Ganduje) to book on the glaring cases of corruption filed against him.

“Governor Yusuf further regretted that Ganduje could yet muster the courage to defend himself in the media, despite the embarrassing video clip where he was caught, red-handed, stocking his large agbada pockets with dollars, a supposed kickback from a contractor; and other corrupt practices massively associated with his eight-year tenure during which he ran the affairs of Kano state as a family enterprise.

“He reaffirmed the present administration’s resolve and readiness to make Ganduje and his co-travellers face the full wrath of the law for their intentional wrong doings.

“Governor Yusuf, however, maintained that his administration is multifacetedly inclined, prioritizing focus and attention on socio-economic and physical infrastructure developments for the overall well-being of Kano and the good people of Kano state.

“Governor Yusuf believes that for anyone to assume that efforts to unravel the issue of corruption charges against Ganduje and members of his immediate family is an attempt to cover up, clearly means, such category of people are either under false illusion or being economical with the truth.

“He insisted that for whatever option, Kano state government would advise the acting national chairman of APC to show cause why his name, that of his family, and the entire people of Kano should permanently erase from the global embarrassment that the dollar video has generated.”

Governor Yusuf said he inherited “liability and debt running into over N500 billion from Ganduje’s administration occasioned by his reckless financial misconduct”.

Governor Yusuf said the “immediate past APC government sold almost all the property and assets to Ganduje, members of his family, and his cronies.”

He said “Ganduje’s administration was associated with massive corruption, nepotism and intimidation of innocent citizens of Kano state, hence the reason for setting up two Judicial Commission of Inquiry”.

“We wish to warn Ganduje to stop dragging the name of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu into his corruption saga, as we believe that our able and well respected President does not interfere in cases before the courts of competent jurisdiction, as we witnessed during our trying times at the Supreme Court when he allowed justice to prevail for the opposition parties,” the statement said.