Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said the North has no excuse not to support and vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, Tinubu has made enough sacrifices for democracy and the development of Nigeria, especially his efforts towards supporting the course of northerners, hence, it is time to pay back.
Ganduje made the remark at an event hosted by a support group, Volunteers For Democracy under the leadership of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Alhaji Usman Alhaji held at the Sani Abacha Stadium.
According to him, Tinubu had emphatically supported Muhammadu Buhari to become president after he failed three times prior to the 2015 election.
The governor noted that even after the 2015 election, Tinubu still continued to support Buhari’s government until this time that he is vying for the apex seat, adding that “this is the time when the north should pay back.”
“It is a payback time for Tinubu by northerners. Tinubu is the best candidate for the forthcoming presidential election. Northerners have no excuse not to vote for Tinubu because of his love and support to northerners.
“Before 2015, Buhari contested three times but failed. In 2015, Tinubu offered to support Buhari. He supported him until he won the election. He continued to support Buhari’s government and did not ask for appointment.
“Among these presidential candidates, no one loves northerners like Tinubu. He is a unifier and has the capacity better than his contenders,” Ganduje said.
Ganduje added that “Nigeria is the most diverse country with a complicated democracy. Ganduje is contesting not for Yoruba or Muslims. We are also voting for Tinubu not because of his tribe or religion.
“We are voting for him because of his capacity, his firmness, his vision, his political pedigree. He is tested and trusted. He did it in Lagos when the state was not attractive. I am sure he will do the same or even better if he becomes Nigerian president,” said Ganduje.
The Kano State governor also said in Kano, he had done a right choice by selecting his deputy, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and former Commissioner, Murtala Sule Garo to contest for governorship election.
According to him, the team of Gawuna and Garo is the best in Kano because of their experiences as public office holders.
In his remarks earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, who is the National President of the Volunteers for Democracy, promised to deliver 600,000 votes to Gawuna/Garo in the 2023 election.
Alhaji said the association has networks in all the 44 local government areas in the state.
He also disclosed that plans had been concluded by the association to launch a door-to-door campaign for APC across all the local government areas.
Meanwhile, Ganduje has sacked the state Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr. Muhammad Tahar Adam popularly known as Baba Impossible.
The state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the removal was with immediate effect.
He said the sacking of the commissioner and member of the state executive council followed his unbecoming attitude as a public servant holding sensitive office, as well as unguarded utterances.
Malam Garba pointed out that he was also found to be running the affairs of his office as personal business and even unilaterally reducing working days for the staff of the ministry, exempting Wednesdays and Fridays.
The commissioner added that apart from operating without due consultation, Baba Impossible has not been loyal to the government.
He announced further that Governor Ganduje has sent to the state House of Assembly the name of a nominee in person of Dr. Nazifi Ishaq Bichi of Bayero University, Kano as replacement for screening and appointment as new commissioner.
The governor, the statement added, wished the sacked commissioner the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
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