Follow Us on Google
…As state govt tackles governor-elect, tells him to wait till he’s sworn-in
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State governor- elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has warned domestic and international lenders against extending facilities to the Abdullahi Ganduje-led state government, insisting that he would not honour any such transaction when he assumes office.
The advisory, the second in a space of 24 hours, is coming despite strong protest by the Kano State government which said that such advisory by the governor-elect, who was yet to be sworn-in, was confusing the public and generating tension in the state.
A statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor- elect, Sanusi Bature Dawakin, read in part: “Effective from March 18th to May 29th, no lender (domestic and international) shall approve and issue any loan facility to Kano State Government without the expressed consent of the incoming administration.
“Any such loan approved and issued to the Kano State government between the date of election and the date of swearing in, without knowledge and consent of the incoming administration will not be honoured by the new administration.
“All subsisting lenders to the Kano State government shall take notice that all terms and conditions for existing loan facilities shall be renegotiated by the new administration guided by the utilization audit/review of each loan facility.”
In a swift reaction, the Kano State government advised the governor-elect to wait until he is sworn-in before exercising the powers of a governor.
The Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, in a statement noted that the advisory issued by the governor-elect had generated a lot of tension and was likely to cause an unnecessary confusion in the state.
By issuing the directive, Garba said the action of the governor-elect amounted to jumping the gun while Governor Ganduje is yet to run his full term.
He reminded the governor-elect that Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje remains the governor of the state until May 29th and therefore, reserves the right to carry out his functions in the public interest even on the eve of his exit as far as the transition of power is concerned as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The statement also noted: “Until he (Abba Kabir Yusuf) subscribes to the oath of office as governor on May 29, he remains what he is – governor-elect and does not have the powers of the governor.
