Ganduje sabotaging transition process, Kano gov-elect’s camp alleges

The Gubernatorial Transition Committee (GTC) of the Kano state governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf has alleged that the outgoing government of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is undermining and sabotaging the transition process.

However, the state government said the allegation was unfounded, claiming that the GTC had refused to submit the names of its three nominees to the government’s transition committee.

It said despite this, all ministries, parastatals and agencies of the government have been carrying on with the handing over process.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, the chairman of the governor-elect’s GTC, Abdullahi Baffa said the government’s insistence that it must nominate three members to join the 17-member government transition committee was “tantamount to insisting that we must have a joint transition committee even though we belong to separate political parties.”

He said because of the GTC’s “insistence that the right thing must be done, Governor Ganduje is doing everything possible to undermine and sabotage the transition process: He is yet to inaugurate the government team even after announcing its formation almost four weeks ago (sadly, the government team say they cannot hold any meeting with us until they are inaugurated by the governor)”.

Watching the watchdog: Newspapers get Ombudsman

Welcome, an Ombudsman for newspapers

Baffa also alleged that Ganduje has “mischievously transferred all permanent secretaries and most of the directors within the service to undermine the preparation of the hand-over”, adding that the governor “has surreptitiously embarked on massive recruitment of workers (in his final few days) on a scale that he has not done in the last seven years and 10 months with the sole intention of over-bloating the service, undermining the incoming administration, and creating confusion.”

He said all these were manifestation of bad faith and total lack of statesmanship in the conduct of the governor.

Baffa said to ensure the transition process is smoothly concluded before the May 29 handover, the GTC would be having interaction with all permanent secretaries, heads of agencies and Director of Personnel Management of all local government areas from May 2.

Reacting to the allegations by the GTC, the state Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, who is also a member of the government’s transition committee, told Daily Trust that there was no truth in what the GTC alleged.

Garba said it was the GTC that had so far refused to nominate the three persons to join the 17-member committee, adding that the GTC was given three slots because the bulk of the work of the transition period would be carried out by the outgoing government.

He also said it was not true that the committee had not been working because the governor was yet to formally inaugurate the committee, saying at least two meetings had been held and the chairman of the committee had given directives for all the ministries, parastatals and agencies to conclude their handing over process.

He said some of the MDAs had already concluded their process and as soon as the GTC nominates its representatives to the committee, they would be carried along.