Seven state governors from the Northern part of the country on Friday met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
All the governors were elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
The governors are those from Kaduna, Yobe, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Adamawa and Kano States.
The motive of the meeting could not be immediately established as at the time of filing this report.
Details later.
The presidency on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari was not involved in the crisis rocking the Kano chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as well political battle between former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso and his successor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The presidency also cleared the air that President Buhari played no role in the removal of Umar Doguwa as chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kano State.
Doguwa, believed to be a loyalist of a former governor of the state, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was removed as APC chairman and replaced with Abdullahi Abbas, a loyalist of the current governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Kwankwaso and Ganduje are involved in a political feud for the control of the party in the state. Efforts by the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari to resolve the crisis have failed.
The feud is also believed to have been responsible for Mr. Abbas’ resignation as chairman on Thursday, after he which he was appointed commissioner by the governor.
The presidency’s statement on the controversy is contained in a statement on Sunday by presidential spokes person, Garba Shehu.
Shehu said the reaction was in response to claims by a group, Concerned Members of the APC in Kano State, believed to be loyal to Kwankwaso.
“The Presidency wishes to refute a false accusation that President Muhammadu Buhari was behind the removal of the erstwhile Kano All Progressives Congress, APC chapter chairman Hon Umar Haruna Doguwa,” Mr. Shehu said.
“Let me assure all our party members and the general public alike at no time did the President involve himself in the internal conflict of any APC chapter in the country, and would never do so.”
Mr. Shehu said, “President Buhari would not risk his integrity to support one side against the other in the affairs the APC or any other political party anywhere in the country.
Anybody who knows the president’s principles would not believe any allegations linking Buhari to interference in the election or removal of party leaders across the country.”
The spokesperson made reference to the president’s neutral role in the election that brought Bukola Saraki as the senate president contrary to the stance of the party.
“In fact, it is an irony that President Buhari, who was accused in the past of not taking control of the National Assembly by imposing in the President of the Senate and Speaker, two critical institutions in the running of our democracy, will now be accused of abandoning those principles to order the removal of the chairman of the Kano APC party chapter.
“I am 100 percent convinced that this group, which is being associated with the respected senator representing Kano, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso did not seek his permission or clear their script with him before they dragged the name of the President into this matter. Governor Kwankwaso knows President Buhari too well to reduce him to this level.
“This group is hereby advised to stop belittling the person and office of the President by dragging his name into their local party quarrels. It is unfair to attack President Buhari over an issue he knew nothing about,” Mr. Shehu said.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has said prospective employees of Giginyu Specialist Hospital and Zoo Road Pediatric Hospital constructed by the state government, may have to sign a bond, forbidding them from going on incessant strikes.
Ganduje gave the indication while inaugurating a 20 – man Advisory Committee on the operations of the hospitals, expected to be commissioned soon by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It will not be business as usual. Anybody serving in the two hospitals must sign an agreement that he or she will not go on strike,” the governor emphasized.
He stated that the move was part of strategy to ensure maintenance culture, stressing that “it will not be worthwhile for the government to spend so much money in constructing and equipping the hospitals only for their workers to embark on strikes at will.”
“We will not create a situation where our facilities will be vandalized. Our facilities will not be routed to private hospitals, our facilities will not be destroyed,” he added.
He pointed out that the two new hospitals were built mainly to reduce medical tourism by providing high quality health care services to people from across the country and beyond, hence, anything that would jeopardize the vision of constructing them would not be tolerated.
On the Advisory Committee of the hospitals, Dr. Ganduje said it would among other things, examine the progress of constructing and equipping them and advice on timely completion as well as articulate a proposal on their operational guidelines.
The chairman of the committee, Dr. Aminu Mgashi said it would do a methodical job within the four weeks time frame set for it by the government.
An invitation card from the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Tricycles to the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Tuesday sparked sharp reactions on social media.
The invitation card was sent out to tricycle operators (popularly called Keke or Keke Maruwa in some parlances) in the state to notify them of an upcoming workshop “on the need to separate female passengers from male passengers, reckless driving during marriage celebrations and using earpiece while driving”
The workshop is expected to be declared open by the Secretary to the State Government and the commissioner for local government affairs.
The leaked invitation card has since caused reactions from netizens on social media. A popular social activist and political commentator, Kayode Ogundamisi @kayodeOgundamisi and former presidential spokesman, Olusegun Adeniyi @Olusegunverdict could not hide their surprise on Twitter.
Read some of their reactions below:
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Saturday inaugurated five new commissioners to the State Executive Council.
The commissioners, who had been screened by the State House of Assembly, took their oath of office before thousands of supporters at the Coronation Hall, Government House.
Ganduje congratulated all the new commissioners on their appointment and tasked them not to betray the trust of the people.
He advised them to always reflect on their oath of office and treat all citizens of the state equally.
Ganduje advised them to come up with innovative ideas that would help develop the state.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the appointment of the newly sworn-in members of the state executive followed the cabinet re-shuffle of which five out of the 14 commissioners were dropped.
The newly sworn-in commissioners are: Malam Ahmad Rabiu, (Commerce and Tourism), Aisha Jafar, (Budget and planning), Musa Kwankwaso, (Special duties), Mr Aminu Aliyu, (Works and Housing), and Mr Muktar Ibrahim, (Justice).
The commissioners were sworn in by the state Solicitor-General, Malam Sani Daniel.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Saturday announced a reshuffling of his cabinet and the subsequent sack of four commissioners.
Those affected are the Commissioners for Works, Finance, Commerce and Budget and Planning.
Details later…
Kano State Government on Saturday dismissed claims that the convoy of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was attacked by armed robbers in Plateau State.
The governor’s Director General, Media and Communications, Salisu Tanko Yakasai, in a statement, described the reports as “not only imaginary but totally false and misleading.’
Yakasai said, “To put the record straight, Gov. Ganduje was travelling in a convoy to Jos, Plateau State from Abuja to commiserate with his counterpart, Gov. Simon Lalong, whose brother passed away.”
According to Yakasai, on approaching a point at Hayin Kibau, along the way to Jos, the convoy stumbled on a car at a roadblock mounted by armed robbers.
“As soon as the armed robbers sighted the governor’s convoy, they dispersed into a nearby bush and abandoned their stranded victims on the road,” the governor’s aide said.
He added that the convoy stopped to rescue the six victims of the robbery, including a pregnant woman, while policemen fired gunshots into the air to scare away the hoodlums.
The media aide stated that the victims were later conveyed to a nearby police checkpoint for safety and to investigate the incident.
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State on Friday visited Kano Central and Goron Dutse Prisons to release 350 inmates.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the governor released 200 inmates from the Kano Central Prison and also freed 150 inmates from the Goron Dutse Prison.
He also gave them N5, 000 cash each to assist them return to their homes.
In his remarks, Governor Ganduje said: “this pardon granted as part of 2017 Eid-el-Kabir celebration is to enable all the released inmates to start a new life.
“I also hope that they will be law abiding and engage themselves in conducts that will be productive to them and their families.”
The representative of the Minister of Interior at the event, Ado Abdullahi, expressed his delight to the governor for his unprecedented gesture.
He added that in the records of the ministry, no governor has released half of what Governor Ganduje did
It will be recalled that Ganduje during the Eid El Fitr celebrations two months ago directed that 500 prisoners be carefully selected for immediate release.
That was the 1st time in Nigeria, a governor is pardoning up to 500 at the same time.
Few of those condemned to death and who are serving life imprisonments had their sentences reviewed downwards.
National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on yesterday urged Nigerians to keep praying for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said this while speaking in Kano during a condolence visit to Governor Abdullahi Ganduje over the death of Dan Masani Kano, Alhaji Maitama Sule.
Tinubu said “there is nothing anybody can do in the face of health challenge”.
He said: “The President did not lie to us. He told us he was ill, and he needs to take care of himself. I don’t see any crisis about this situation. We are a nation that is very humane, honest, compassionate, and resilient. We take care of our own neighbours.”
Tinubu also said he does not see any problem in the feud between the legislature and the executive.
He said, “Honestly, I don’t see any problem in the crisis between the legislature and executive because we are in politics and in politics, there is an inbuilt conflict resolution mechanism.
“Crisis, argument and communication are part of politics and there is a self-corrective process.
Tinubu added: “It is a great honour and privilege for me to be here today. It has been very tough in the last few years. I grew up in the hands of two people, who knew me to my home. One of them is Dan Massanin Kano, who has just passed on.
“The other is a living legend, Malam Yusuf Ali. In fact, my bedroom, where I am sleeping today, he has slept there; and he has been a great guiding light for me. He lost his brother; he lost a son, not too long ago. I have not been able to come and be with him.
“It is only God who gives and he takes. We cannot change any date of calendar as written by God almighty. God will continue to be with you and console you. You will live long for us.
“And incidentally, I will repeat this when we get to the Government House. Our brother, Ganduje, Your Excellency, you are saying eight years, some people are saying 12 years; but if you put comma in any line of the constitution, that is an amendment.
“So, I endorse eight years, we are with it, and with all our body and soul. You are a great man – and you are a very very loyal man. We have been planning to come to condole with you because of Dan Masani. It is not just a Kano bereavement, but a national bereavement. We should condole with you and the people of Kano State because you are bereaved.
“One thing that we must note in His Excellency, Governor Ganduje is this – he is one of the most straightforward, dependable individuals. When you agree on something, or in the words of Donald Trump, ‘do a deal with him,’ you can go to sleep because you will be the one to break that accord, not him.
“Ganduje, I want to say thank you. You are so humble, so dependable. You are a friend that is completely flexible. You have the understanding of family and friendship.
“So, if you say eight years, yes; before you add the other four years, I say watch – that other four years, maybe as a governor, maybe as a president. So, we will wait, let’s amortise the eight years first.”
Former President Goodluck Jonathan said late Yusuf Maitama Sule had promoted national interest during his lifetime.
Jonathan said this in Kano on Saturday when he paid a condolence visit to Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje at the Government House, Kano.
The former president also said that the late Danmasani’s influence and contribution to national development went beyond kano.
He described the late statesman as a patriot whose interest was the growth of Nigeria and the African continent.
“He was one of those leaders who shunned ethnicity, promoted national interest above all others and believed in the corporate existence of the country.
“He was also a man of integrity, a nationalist who played a key role in the independence of the country and after independence, his exploits in Nigeria and beyond contributed to making Nigeria a great country,” he said.
Jonathan said that the nation had lost a father, a leader and an orator.
He commended Governor Ganduje for renaming the state-owned Northwest University after the late Danmasani.
”On behalf of my family and my entire entourage, I offer my condolences to you and the good people of the state,” he said.
Ganduje while speaking described the deceased as simple, friendly and someone who carried everybody along, irrespective of differences.
He described the late Maitama Sule as a role model who all Nigerians should be proud of.
The former President was accompanied by former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali, among others.
The former president also paid similar visit to the Emir’s Palace and the house of the deceased elder statesman in Kano city.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the two-time minister and former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations died in the early hours of Monday at 88.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the elder statesman was buried on Tuesday in Kano.
NAN