Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State has replied his predecessor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who accused him of failure.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje had said Governor Yusuf was shifting public glare from the fact that there is nothing on the ground in the state to justify the sharp increase in statutory allocations to the state since the inception of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
"Rather than join issues with my traducers in Kano over the trumped-up charges levelled against me, I would implore them to redirect their energies towards easing the plights of our people in Kano."
"They still have the opportunity to revert to my blueprint for the sustainable growth and development of Kano State. It is not yet late in the day for them to emulate my developmental strides. They can still salvage the situation as my tenure was devoid of any wrongdoings., Ganduje had said in the statement.
But responding through Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, his spokesperson, Yusuf said Ganduje shamelessly spoke about non-existent failure in the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) government instead of facing the nemesis of corruption and political violence hanging around his neck.
He said Ganduje's eight-year tenure represented failure and maladministration, following massive records of corruption, diversion pf public funds and sale of government properties that characterized it.
The governor insisted that Ganduje presided over two unproductive tenures characterised with siphoning public resources, inability to cater for the needs of Kano's population, nepotism and bloodshed that left many families the mood of melancholy.
"Our eight months in office has remarkably outweighed Ganduje's eight wasted years of political caricature and maladministration by all standards," Governor Yusuf stated.
He advised Ganduje to rather buckle up in defence of his "battered image" at the court, instead of further exposing his impunity on the media space.
Yusuf said Ganduje's "penchant for corruption has brought shame and disgrace to the good people of Kano", insisting that no amount of media campaign would hinder the process of bringing him (Ganduje) to book on the glaring cases of corruption filed against him.
"We wish to reaffirm the present administration's resolve and readiness to make Ganduje and his co-travellers face the full wrath of the law for their intentional wrong doings," the statement added.
Governor Yusuf, however, maintained that his administration is multifacetedly inclined, prioritizing focus and attention on socio-economic and physical infrastructure developments for the overall well-being of Kano and the good people of Kano state.
Governor Yusuf believes that for anyone to assume that efforts to unravel the issue of corruption charges against Ganduje and members of his immediate family is an attempt to cover up, clearly means, such category of people are either under false illusion or being economical with the truth.
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On the allegations of poor governance in Kano despite the increase in federal allocation, Governor Yusuf revealed that his administration is still "struggling to recover from state of bankruptcy Ganduje plunged the state in the last eight years".
He further stated that it is also glaring that Ganduje's administration was associated with massive corruption, nepotism and intimidation of innocent citizens of Kano state, hence the reason for setting up two Judicial Commission of Inquiry"
