The Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, has told the Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, to resign his position if he will not follow Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Waiya stated this when he appeared on a live radio programme with Muhasa Radio.
Waiya said political differences at the highest level of government could undermine trust and effective governance, if the deputy governor still remains as Commissioner for Higher Education.
“What we are hoping for, just as we saw with some commissioners who felt uncomfortable and resigned, is that the deputy governor should also take an honourable step if he is no longer on the same political path with the governor,” Waiya said.
The commissioner said governance requires unity and shared ideology, adding that mistrust could occur if a senior official remained in government while pursuing a different political direction.
“If you sit in an Executive Council meeting where people are discussing how to build Kano and there is suspicion about where such discussions may end up, then there is a problem. Governance is about trust,” he added.
Waiya, who said Kano politics was highly competitive, added that “many people have aspirations, including to become governor. There is nothing wrong with ambition, but if interests begin to conflict with the direction of the government, the most honourable option is to step aside and pursue those goals independently.”
To resign is the deputy governor’s own decision, the commissioner said, adding that remaining in office is also a personal choice.
“It is his decision. If he believes he can continue to work with the governor under the present circumstances, then that is fine. But if I were in that position, I would have left and faced my political journey clearly,” Waiya stated.
Governor Abba on January 23 resigned from the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and joined the APC on January 26 while his deputy chose to remain loyal to the Kwankwasiyya political movement under former governor of the state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
