Is Kano Government House for sale?

One needs to know whether the Kano State Government House is for sale. This is the controversy that needs immediate clarification.

The first civilian governor of Kano state, Late Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi, was the most formidable politician in the state’s history of. Rimi did not ask to contest for governor. His desire was to contest the senatorial slot which was ratified by the hierarchy of the defunct People’s Redemption Party, PRP, at its national executive meeting. God made it that some intrigues came into play such that the governorship candidate of the PRP, Late Salihi Iliyasu, was accused of wrong doings. It was a calculated manipulation because he stepped on the toes of some the forces in the then ruling National Party of Nigeria, NPN.

Even when Iliyasu was wrongly accused, he immediately stepped down in order to prove to his political foes that he was not desperate to become a governor. He stepped down to give peace a chance, which paved the way for to contest the election and eventually emerged governor of Kano state. PRP was not for moneybags but a party for the talakawa. This was the case since NEPU days and it continued with PRP which was formed in 1978, shortly before the 1979 elections.

Since PRP was not for the rich, the talakawa had elected most of its candidates for the house of assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate. However, NPN, which was for moneybags, was rejected by Kano electorate, who massively voted for PRP. So, one could vividly see that to shower money does not mean people would elect you into high office of a governor.

Even in 1999-2003 money or material benefits had no place because the engine room of Kano state politics, Rimi and his senior comrades, brought their influence to bear in the elections. In 2003 too, a wonderful election held when God showed his mercy and downgraded the incumbent and gave power to the unknown, politically. The lucky man was persecuted when he was permanent secretary. This compelled him to quit and God rewarded him with the exalted chair of the governor of Kano state.

So, the five – Rimi, Senator Kabiru Gaya, late Alhaji Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso and Senator Ibrahim Shekarau – to the best of my knowledge, did not give anybody money to elect them into offices. So one should know that showering money is certainly an abuse that would not augur well for the politics of Kano state. It is expected that someone who does so, if elected the treasury would be as empty as a burning forest. Those who benefited would be happy but repercussions would be beyond their imagination. I have read the American journal insisting on investigating the source of politicians, especially in Africa, who buy people even before the elections. Money politics is inimical to progress and development of any society and must be discarded.

Comrade Ibrahim Abdu Zango

Chairman, Kano Unity Forum,

Kano, Nigeria 08175472298