Despite the propaganda against his administration, the Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, last Saturday, pulled a crowd of politicians, traditional rulers, business high-flyers as well as high-profile socialites, to a colourful wedding of his daughter, in Kano. BASHIR MOHAMMED reports
Crowd puller
Umar Ganduje, Kano state governor, on Saturday, March 3, proved his popularity once again, but not in electoral contest. Rather, this time, the politician and crowd puller made his mark in social circle at the wedding of his daughter.
In spite of political rivalry in Kano state Ganduje is always guided by his believe in whatever that endeares him to the people, knowing that what is expected of him is for humanity to benefit from his services.
At the time propaganda and mudslinging against his leadership reached its zeniTheven in the face of myriad of high profile projects executed to his credit, the ever resilient governor, had surprised his critics by pulling crowd during the recent visit paid to the state by President Muhammadu Buhari, on an official engagement.
High flying traditional rulers
Thankfully, the governor’s deep knowledge of statecraft and leadership became a blessing. Indeed, Ganduje again surprised those who believed that his political popularity was waning, by assembling all those that matter in politics and a horde of high flying traditional rulers, respected opinion leaders and business moguls, who graced the wedding fatiha of his daughter, Fatima , given out her hand in marriage to the son of the Oyo state Governor, Alhaji Isiyaka Abiola Ajimobi.
The wedding fatiha which was performed at the Kano Central Mosque, was presided over by the emir of Kano Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, and supported by the Chief Immam of Kano Prof. Muhammad Sani Zaharadeen, witnessed the presence of bevy of eminent personalities ranging from politicians to renowned business tycoons who had graciously honoured the governor’s invitation, on the premise that he is a man of the people and peoples’ governor as well, r, ready to bring his people closed to corridors of power, for them to have a sense of belonging.
A parade of VIPs
It is an indisputable fact that the epoch-making celebration, had elicited a flurry of comments and observations from notable pundits who totally disagreed with the wrong permutations of the governor’s critics on account of the inescapable fact that only a popular governor like Ganduje can assemble the calibre of personalities that attended the wedding, and for the President to accept the invitation to attend the wedding in person and at the same time agreed to be the honorary father of the bride.
The president in his honorary role as the groom’s father, had in accordance with the responsibility bestowed on him, received the hand of the bride on behalf of Ajimobi’s son Idriss, after paying a fifty thousand naira dowry , as witnessed by relatives of both groom and bride, in addition to the presence of tens of thousands of friends and well wishers, who converged on the palace of the Kano nonarch to grace the governor’s invitation.
Historic marriage
A historic marriage in the sense that it involved people of different tribal pedigree, so, many Islamic scholars took time to draw the attention of the curious audience to comprehend the simple fact that intermarriage was legalized and legitimized by Islam, in as much as the couple are Muslims, and agreed to adhere to Islamic injunctions guiding the conduct of the conjugal union.
Notable among the Islamic scholars who cited some portions of the glorious Quran to buttress their points was the renowned Islamic scholar in the state, Shiekh Sulieman Salihu Koki, who for the sake of religious expediency stressed the need for people to understand that Islam is a religion of peaceful coexistence, mutual trust and diplomacy affirming that intermarriage is an age-long tradition which had been espoused for centuries.
Intermarriage
According to him, intermarriage has the potential to unite people of diverse ethnic background to live happily and forge a common bond which can be sustained for the benefit of averting crisis’s and overcoming potentially explosive situations stressing that forming such a conjugal union had been a common trend all over the Islamic world..
He said “there is nothing bad for a Yoruba man to fall in love with a Hausa-Fulani Woman provided that the relationship is built on the basis of love, trust or mutual affection for such a bond to be eternally sustained.
“No one can ever prove beyond any reasonable doubt that this type of relationship should not be consummated both the bride and the groom are Muslims and espoused the same religious ideological belief. The issue of intermarriage was not forbidden in Islam once it had never violated the Islamic injunctions”.
“My fervent prayer is for the couple to live and respect each other on the basis of mutual trust. for them to live in peace and harmony since they have accepted to tie the nuptial not on the prodding of no one. they are young chaps who out of their penchant for marital bliss chose to live as one . Marriage by coercion is an anachronism in every religion” he averred.
Fatherly advice
On his fatherly advice to the couple, the emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II counseled the groom to handle his life partner with utmost fear of God, compassion and love pointing out that the sanctity of the marriage institution is an obligation that must not be subverted under whatever guise.
It was however the contention of the monarch that the religion of Islam had explicitly defined the role a husband is expected to play in fulfilling marriage obligations which equally defined the responsibility a wife is also expected to play stressing that flouting such a covenant would be met with the wrath of God.
Image-laundering
However the epoch-making event, had suddenly turned out to be an image-laundering for Governor Ganduje, having had his fingers on the political till of the state, running from pillar to post executing high profile development projects which would have a positive impact on those who voted him to power.
Unrivaled dominance
In the words of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Alhaji Anas Abba Dala, the mammoth crowd that witnessed the wedding fatiha had put to shame critics of the governor who out of their myopic calculation propounded the propaganda that the governor is losing his political grip, adding that the retinue of eminent personalities that had witnessed the solemnization of the marriage was a pointer to Ganduje’s unrivaled political dominance.
He said” one needs no soothsayer to tell him that Ganduje’s popularity is intact. he should be grateful to God having been able to weather every storm he is up and doing in fulfilling his mandate and obligation as one who rode to the pinnacle of fame, honour and greatness on the crest of popular will. it would be fool hardy for one to think that he can pull strings behind the scene to me, such an act of naivety is ridiculous”.
The presence of the President along with 22 governors and about 11 Ministers and notable top government functionaries, was a confirmation of the fact that Governor Ganduje, is still in charge of the political ship of the state, despite the venomous propaganda stunt against his leadership, coming at a time when desperate politicians are making frantic effort to prove their relevance and worth on the political landscape of the state.
