From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Kano State Government has refuted reports attributed to the First Lady, Prof Hafsat Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in which she is reported to have endorsed Murtala Sule Garo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as successor to her husband in the 2023 election.
In a statement issued on Monday, Kano State Commissioner for Information Muhammad Garba explained that the governor’s wife was quoted out of context in the trending video on social media.
In the video, the statement said, the First Lady was only thrilled by Garo’s performance whom she fondly called ‘commander’.
‘Just as she commended Murtala Sule Garo for his performance, Her Excellency has also been consistent in applauding any other commissioner or public servant who perform wonderfully well in the discharge of his responsibility,’ Garba added.
The commissioner pointed out that the context of the video was twisted and given much publicity by people bent on creating confusion and unnecessary tension so as to create divisions in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.
He called on party members and supporters to exercise patience and restraint until the appropriate time comes for the democratic process to take effect in regards to a gubernatorial candidate.
The commissioner stated that the Ganduje administration is focused on the completion and implementation of key policies and programmes as well as critical infrastructure projects between now and 2023.
He called on party members to disregard rumours being peddled and direct their energy towards supporting the administration to continue to serve them better.