Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, has dismissed as false the alleged misunderstanding between him and his godfather, Kwankwaso, even as he described it as the height of insult on his personality, the campaign linking him with Abba Tsaya da KafarKa.
Yusuf said he had initially taken the entire drama and those staging the “play” for granted until the matter was escalated by reports that he was no longer picking calls from Kwankwaso.
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Yusuf, who said his strong relationship with Kwankwaso had lasted over 40 years, wondered the derivable gain those plotting to scuttle his ties with Kwankwaso stand to benefit.
He said, “I have been with Kwankwaso for the last 40 years. We were together in the civil service. I retired after he retired from government work. I returned to politics with him. We were together in and out of government. In all these periods I never fought with him. Is it now that I became governor that I will now think of fighting with Kwankwaso?” he asked.
“I am the governor of Kano State by the grace of God. But I must not forget the person that God used to enable me to sit here as governor. Whether I will remain on this seat or not, it is only Allah that knows. It is the people of Kano that will also decide who becomes the next governor.
“For me, I will not be an ingrate in my life and I will never betray the trust bestowed on me. Let me also say that a group calling for Abba Tsaya da KofarKa, is the greatest insult I have ever received in my life. I don’t know what they mean but if the people actually love me, they should henceforth stop this campaign,” Governor Yusuf said.
Kwankwaso, a two-term governor in the state and presidential candidate of the NNPP in the 2023 poll single-handedly picked Yusuf. When he brought Yusuf into the race for the governorship of the state, there was the notion that being his in-law, the governor will withstand the allure to thread along the path of flexing muscles with his godfather and predecessor.
While those within the circle of Kwankwaso are pleased with the ‘yes man’ disposition of Yusuf within the last one and half years, hardliners like Senator Kawu Sumaila, House of Representatives members, Ali Madaki Gini, Alhassan Rurum have come up with the Hausa slogan, “Abba Tsaya Da Karfarka”, which means, “Stand on your feet” and take control of the affairs of governance of the state.
Proponents of Abba Tsaya Da Kafarka argue that the newfound resentment should not be seen as a surprising development as they feel Kwankwaso’s alleged overbearing influence on governance in Kano must not be sustained.