Transition Process: Kano Gov-Elect’s Camp Accuses Gov Ganduje Of Sabotage

BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – With all eyes on the May 29, 2023 handover date, the Gubernatorial Transition Committee (GTC) of the Kano State governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf has accused the outgoing administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of working to undermine and sabotage the current transition process.

Chairman of the Governor-elect’s GTC, Abdullahi Baffa said the State government’s demands that they nominate only three members to join the 17-member Transition Committee was “tantamount to insisting that we must have a joint transition committee even though we belong to separate political parties.”

Addressing a press conference on Friday in Kano, Baffa said given the GTC’s “insistence that the right thing must be done, Governor Ganduje is doing everything possible to undermine and sabotage the transition process.

“He is yet to inaugurate the government team even after announcing its formation almost four weeks ago (sadly, the government team say they cannot hold any meeting with us until they are inaugurated by the governor)”.

Furthermore, Baffa accused the Governor of mischievously transferring “all permanent secretaries and most of the directors within the service to undermine the preparation of the hand-over”.

According to him, the governor “has surreptitiously embarked on massive recruitment of workers (in his final few days) on a scale that he has not done in the last seven years and 10 months with the sole intention of over-bloating the service, undermining the incoming administration, and creating confusion.”

While noting that the happenings were clear manifestation of bad faith and total lack of statesmanship by the Governor Ganduje-led administration, Baffa said to ensure the transition process is smoothly concluded before the May 29 handover, the GTC has scheduled interactions with all permanent secretaries, heads of agencies and Director of Personnel Management of all local government areas beginning from May 2, 2023

But reacting to the allegations, the Kano State government described them as unfounded, claiming it is the GTC that refused to submit the names of its three nominees to the Government’s transition committee.

Maintaining there was no truth in the GTC’s claims, the State Commissioner of Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, who is also a member of the government’s transition committee, said all ministries, parastatals and agencies of the government have Kept faith been with the handing over schedule and processes.

Mallam Garba said it was the GTC that had so far refused to nominate the three persons to join the 17-member committee, adding that the GTC was given three slots because the bulk of the work of the transition period would be carried out by the outgoing government.

Also debunking claims of the Committee not working because the governor is yet to formally inaugurate its members, the Commissioner disclosed that at least two meetings have been held with the Committee Chairman directing all the Ministries, Parastatals and Agencies (MDAs) to conclude their handing over process speedily.

He said some of the MDAs had already concluded their processes and as soon as the GTC nominates its representatives to the Committee, they would be carried along in the exercise.