Disquiet in Kano as dep gov quits 2019 race

• Ganduje moves to douse tension

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

There is palpable tension in the corridors of power in the ancient city of Kano State, as the incumbent Deputy Governor Hafiz Abubakar furiously revealed in a leak audio that he will part ways with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the expiration of their first tenure in 2019.
The deputy governor, who was a deputy vice chancellor of Bayero University Kano, in the audio clip, was heard angrily saying he was not interested in joining Ganduje’s re-election bid in 2019, saying that he would go back to the university to continue his academic career.
He was said to have been angered in the audio over being sidelined in the formation of party structure and leadership at his ward and local government level.
“When they were campaigning for election, my picture was juxtaposed with the governor, president and our leader Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
“But today at my birthplace, my picture was replaced with somebody else’s picture. What have I done to my birthplace? I do not deserve this even as a university lecturer at Bayero University, where I hope to return in 2019 at the expiration of my tenure.
“I will not be part of a system whereby the leadership of my party, APC, would be formed at my Mandawari ward, my birthplace, and my brother removed without consulting me. I will never continue in this situation,” he declared
However, a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, said Governor Ganduje directed the immediate reinstatement of the removed chairman, while calling on politicians to always contact party leadership and politicians holding higher offices before embarking on issues of sensitive nature.
Ganduje, said he was shocked at the outburst of his deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar, over removal of his brother as All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman at Mandawari ward, his birth place.
Ganduje also tasked politicians and other members of the public to accord the same respect to the deputy governor in their dealings with him.
He reiterated the commitment of the APC to work toward ensuring justice and fairness in the selection of credible candidates and conduct of primary elections in areas where consensus candidate for councillor and chairmanship positions for local government could not be produced.
Governor Ganduje also called on members of the APC to desist from any act capable of causing disunity in the party ranks, particularly at this critical moment when election is fast approaching.