Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has said all his political travails, which include his losses at both the Elections Petition Tribunal and most recently at the Court of Appeal, are targeted attacks against his political godfather, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
Yusuf spoke at length for the first time since the appellate court affirmed the judgment of the tribunal that sacked him late on Sunday during a stakeholders meeting of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano.
The meeting, which was held at the instance of Kwankwaso, also had in attendance the state deputy governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Ismail Falgore; federal lawmaker for Kiru/Bebeji constituency, Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, leaders of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Kano State cabinet members and top government officials.
Yusuf said that he and his supporters will continue to work under Kwankwaso’s guidance and leadership to do the needful.
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“Even if the world says they are not going to give us anything because of his (Kwankwaso) vision, we are not going to turn our back on him and his vision,” he said.
Yusuf also charged the party leaders not to lose hope and urged them not to exchange bitter words with anyone but to channel their energy to motivating Kano people. He also promised to continue with all the people-centred projects he has started, including assisting women and children and the settlement of pensions and gratuity.
In another development, the NNPP has raised an alarm, saying the non-release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Kano judgement delivered by the Court of Appeal on Friday can affect its chances of restoring the mandate of Governor Yusuf.
Yusuf had, after the Friday judgement, vowed to seek further redress at the Supreme Court, urging his supporters not to lose hope in the judiciary.
But four days later, the national leadership of his party raised the alarm that its legal team had been unable to get the CTC of the judgement needed to commence the process of filing an appeal before the apex court.
Abba Kawu Ali, the party’s acting national chairman, said in a statement on Monday that the situation was already eating into the 14 days the party has to file its appeal.
He said that the party is worried that the delay in releasing the CTC of the judgement is a deliberate attempt to frustrate the party and the Governor of Kano State, His Excellency, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, as well as the legal team in their quest to get justice in the Kano State governorship petition as they head for the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Police Command has warned against moves by some party supporters to stage violent protests in the state following the Appeal Court’s judgement on the state governorship dispute.
The Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Usaini Gumel, who conveyed the warning through the public relations officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, warned that whoever attempted to disrupt the peace in the state would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
He said there was credible information at the command’s disposal that some groups of political party supporters were using unconventional media platforms, mobilising people, and planning to hit the streets in protest over the Kano State Governorship Appeal Court’s verdict.