Doguwa: Governor Ganduje Must Take Full Charge of APC Affairs in Kano
Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Alhassan Ado Doguwa, in this interview talks about the recent face off between him and Kano State deputy gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Murtala Sule Garo and the need for Governor Abdullahi Ganduje
There was a reported clash between you and Garo during a meeting at the Kano residence of the APC governorship candidate, Nasir Gawuna. What really transpired? Yes, I was not part of that meeting. Yes, I was not invited, but what happened was that I wanted to meet with the state chairman of the party, Hon. Abdullahi Abbas, the Prince of Kano State.
He (Abdullahi Abbas) told me to come over and discuss with him at the residence of the present deputy governor of Kano State. That was what took me to that place.
Coincidentally, I met these people meeting and they are meeting in a setting that reflected to me that this is a stakeholders’ meeting for Kano State.
When I looked at them, definitely I stepped back because I looked at the faces of the people in the meeting, numbering about 10, and it was like a selection of stakeholders, like a selection of members who matter in the APC in Kano State and I was not invited.
To be very honest with you, I was upset that I was not invited. And I told them my displeasure with it. I said I was not happy. And I was not happy, not just because I was not invited to the meeting, but because there was also something that happened on the day our presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, visited Kano.
So this has also added to my injury; it added salt to my injury, then I complained bitterly to the deputy governor, who is our gubernatorial candidate.
It was when I was complaining to the deputy governor, that this man abused me. Of course, when he was abusing me, we exchanged unpalatable words.
He abused me and I abused him. He was trying to rush at me and then, on the tiles, there was water, he slipped and fell, hitting a cup that also fell on the floor.
That was how he sustained an injury on his head. I did not injure him, I did not beat him because I could not have fought in my traditional regalia.
What made you to belief that Kano deputy governorship candidate of APC is undermining the chances of the party?
One, Murtala Sule Garo, is an in-law, direct in-law to the PDP presidential candidate, he is married to the daughter of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
To God who created me, since he lost his ambition of becoming the governorship candidate, Garo has not been working for the success of APC in Kano
He has been holding meetings with his people asking them not to vote for APC because he is better off with an in-law as president than be a deputy governor in Kano State.
This I can tell you anywhere. And I have not been happy with this disposition because I am a Tinubu person to the core. Wherever I come across anybody conspiring against Tinubu, whoever that person may be, I will do my best to make sure that he does not succeed.
Another thing that provoked me, which I have never told anyone, was that Murtala Sule Garo, on the day Tinubu came to Kano, caused my billboards that were placed at strategic places to be torn, simply because I did not reflect his picture on the billboards.
I reflected the picture of governor, I reflected that of the gubernatorial candidate, and I also consistently reflected the picture of my presidential candidate
Don’t you think Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State should come in to resolve all issues affecting the APC in the state?
I want to advise our father, the leader of the party, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who has been my mentor and will continue to be my mentor, I have regard for him and I have regard for his family, that he has to do something about the situation.
Murtala Garo cannot be a good ambassador for this party. The presence of Murtala in any business of the people in this state can create confusion.
I have never seen any governor who has progressively worked to help the people. I have never seen a governor in the North who has done as much as Governor Ganduje has done in the area of security.
I have not seen any governor who has done as much as Dr Ganduje has done in education and healthcare delivery.
So Ganduje has to come over and take charge of the affairs of the APC in Kano so that we won’t have a person who is a detractor, a conspirator, one who does not even believe in the success of the party simply because he is married to a presidential candidate’s daughter in another party.