The governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said that he is sure the election tribunal will affirm his victory in the governorship election. In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, the governor accused the Kano State Police Commissioner, Muhammad Wakili of assisting the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to rig the March 9th governorship election in the state.
You have just won an election for a second term in office, have you started preparation for your swearing-in?
Yes, I have not just started preparation for the swearing-in ceremony, I have also started preparation for my programme, projects, blueprint, which I think are more important. Very soon, I will inaugurate a committee that will organise the ceremony. I will also like to know the ministry, department and parastatal where we stopped so far and how we can get ahead.
During the last swearing-in ceremony you wore a red cap, is there any particular colour of cap you are going to wear this time around?
Are you trying to make a reference to Kwankwasiyya.
READ: APC attacks CP Singham Wakili, says ‘he helped PDP to rig Kano guber poll’
Do we expect a Gandujiyya cap?
I don’t have any particular cap. They are free to use any type of cap they want. We have dropped the Kwankwasiyya cap forever. I was the one who initiated that red cap when we were trying to win an election. At that time, Kwankwaso was a gubernatorial candidate and the presidential campaign team of the late Yar’adua was trying to come to Kano. Coincidentally, I was a member of Goodluck’s team who was a vice presidential candidate, because we were deputy governors in 1999. So I had the opportunity to know what was happening in the states. When it came to the turn of Kano, we held a stakeholders’ meeting to decide what type of dress we would use. I said each state had its own symbol, so since Malam Aminu Kano was our icon, he should be our symbol, let us use the type of dress he used to wear – white garment, red cap with black shoes. We adopted it, and when Yar’adua came with his team, we gave them a set of that attire. And we continued with that as our symbol. That was the beginning of it.
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You accused the current commissioner of police of being biased, especially during the main election, what made you feel uncomfortable with him?
He was giving them protection. He had no right to arrest a deputy governor. In fact, we could have taken him to the court for doing that because he went against the constitution, particularly because the deputy governor has immunity. Our supporters were sighted in that particular collation centre, so the deputy governor went to tell them that they should leave the place, not knowing that the commissioner of police had already dispersed them. And he allowed the opponents to come in. So, when the deputy governor went in, instead of him to see our supporters he fell in the hands of the opposition. So he was biased. A member of the House of Reps was also arrested. Two elected local government chairmen were arrested and taken to the police station. And we did not hear that any important person from the PDP was arrested. Is it not a bias?
READ: The CP in Kano: Man of the moment
You said the commissioner of police was biased, but when he assumed duty he arrested some thugs, about 1,700 of them, which many people saw as an effort to make the election peaceful; does that mean anything to you?
It was deception. During the main election he did not behave that way. I told him not to allow Kwankwaso go to Bebeji because of his utterances, but he said he had already given him permission. I said he could revoke it because there would be security challenges, but he refused. He allowed him to go and many people were killed during the presidential election and no arrest was made. Up till now, he hasn’t even found out who killed the people. I told him that if he abided by my advice, nobody would have lost his life. That’s why I told you that he was biased.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW ‘How I defeated PDP in Kano – Gov Ganduje‘
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