A stalemate is brewing in the Kano State Government following the refusal of Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo to quit in the aftermath of the defection of Governor Abba Yusuf from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gwarzo opted to remain in the NNPP and loyal to the party’s national leader, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso.
The expectation in the APC was that the deputy governor would join some other loyalists of Kwankwaso in government in throwing in the towel as soon as the governor switched camps on Monday.
He has so far declined to quit.
He has even received the backing of the Kano State chapter of the NNPP to stay put in government.
The NNPP insisted on the deputy governor’s right to occupy his position and his critical role in governance, “underscoring the imperative of adherence to constitutional responsibilities.”
It said Gwarzo’s “continuity in office is essential for the stability and progress of the state’s governance.”
Spokesman for the NNPP in the state, Engr Ibrahim Karaye condemned call for the resignation of the deputy governor, and said he remains a bona fide member of the party and a key figure in the state’s governance.
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He pointed out that the Deputy Governor was elected on a joint ticket with Governor Yusuf.
Besides, he said Gwarzo is constitutionally entitled to continue discharging his duties, and argued that the State Executive Council is a constitutional body that should not be dragged into partisan disputes.
Kwankwaso’s son – Mustapha- who held the portfolio of Youth and Sports Development in the government has already left.
Karaye was responding to a statement by Information and Internal Affairs Commissioner Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya who had said it was only honourable for the deputy governor to resign if he could no longer align politically with his principal.
“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.
He added: “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.
“Many people have aspirations, including the ambition to become governor. There is nothing wrong with that. But if personal interests begin to conflict with the direction of government, the most honourable option is to step aside and pursue those goals independently.”
It was gathered that the government, with a comfortable two thirds majority of the members of the State House of Assembly on its side, may get the deputy governor impeached if he continues to resist resignation dodge functions presided over by the governor.
However, the challenge in doing that may be finding offenses that amount to “gross misconduct” against him.
