On Friday, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Governor of Kano State, advised the governor-elect, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, to hold off on making official statements about state affairs until his term officially begins to prevent any misunderstandings. The governor’s statement was made through Malam Muhammad Garba, the commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, in response to a directive issued by the governor-elect’s office that warned against public construction projects.
The Governor noted that: “The action of the governor-elect amounts to jumping the gun by issuing directive on a matter affecting government laid down policy while the incumbent is yet to run his full term,”.
Malam Garba said that the Nigerian Constitution outlines power-sharing arrangements, which means that Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje remains the governor with full executive powers until May 29th. Moreover, Garba clarified that even on the day before leaving office, Ganduje retains the right to carry out his functions in the interest of the public
“Until he subscribes to the oath of office as governor in May 29, he (Yusuf) remains what he is -a governor-elect and does not have the powers of the governor.
“All he can do is to reverse some of the actions taken by his predecessor when he assumes office if there is a valid reason to do so.
“No governor-elect has the constitutional or legal powers to determine the direction of a state until he is sworn in,” the statement added.
The commissioner acknowledged that state governors possess the significant authority to allocate land and that previous administrations, including the one in which the governor-elect served, had exercised this power. He also pointed out that the previous administration had made land allocations in several public areas that the governor-elect had specifically mentioned, such as the city wall, Kofar Nassarawa to Kofar Mata, shops at Kofar Mata Eid Prayer Ground facing the Orion Cinema, Yan Yashi opposite the Eid Ground, Kofar Kabuga to Kofar Famfo facing the old campus of Bayero University.
The commissioner expressed concern that the governor-elect’s advisory had created tension in the state and advised him to refrain from issuing such directives to prevent confusion. He also reassured individuals and organizations who had acquired land through proper procedures that they should not be intimidated by the advisory.
Earlier, the governor-elect had issued a warning to individuals, groups, and organizations to stop construction activities in public places, stating that anyone who chose to ignore the advisory did so at their own risk.
