August 14, (THEWILL) – Shehu Wada Sagagi, the Chief of staff to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has described the accusation levelled against him by the state APC Chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, on alleged diversion of palliatives as baseless, misleading and politically motivated.
Sagagi in a signed statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday, in Kano, said the accusations were a “desperate attempt to tarnish my image in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians, and a calculated attempt to discredit the NNPP government’s efforts in supporting the people of Kano State.”
According to Wada Sagagi, the APC’s claims of palliative diversion and rebranding levelled against his personality are unfounded and lack concrete evidence, pointing out that such frivolous ranting are mere allegations designed to score cheap political stunts.
“Let it be on record that my office has never been involved in palliatives distribution and no one has ever allocated the palliatives to me for onward distribution to state, local governments or ward levels.
“The NNPP government has been transparent in its distribution of palliatives to the masses, with clear records of beneficiaries and distribution channels, therefore, there is no truth to the APC’s claims of diversion or rebranding”, the Chief of Staff said.
He also described the APC’s accusations as politically motivated, “tinted to distract the public from their own failures while they had eight years tenure in governance, only to shift attention towards the NNPP administration’s successes in less than one year in office.”
The signed statement read in parts: “The APC’s claims of palliative diversion are also contradictory, as they have previously praised the NNPP government’s efforts in supporting the people of Kano state.
“The NNPP government has made significant strides in supporting the people of Kano State, from food distribution to infrastructure development, we, therefore, viewed the recent media onslaught as an orchestrated attempt to undermine these achievements.
“Our actions are guided by the principles of transparency and accountability and we challenge the APC to provide proof of their allegations or retract their statement.
“The Abbas-led APC’s stock in trade is diversionary, designed to set the people of Kano, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the palliatives against the government with the ultimate target to create unnecessary tension and confusion.
“No doubt, our government remains committed to the welfare of the people of Kano State, and we will not be deterred by the APC’s baseless accusations. They will not succeed. We will continue to work tirelessly to support our citizens.”
Sagagi further said, “Kano State government would not be surprised over the frustration of APC Chairman to resort to blackmailing and attempting to misrepresent facts in order to score cheap publicity.
“We are not unaware that APC is still suffering from the hangover of the 2023 governorship election in Kano, where NNPP defeated them resoundingly. Again, their loss at the Supreme Court was another nightmare.
“Instead of the leadership to rethink over their misfortune at the poll and perhaps seek forgiveness from the good people of Kano for their reckless administration and large-scale misappropriation of public funds, they resort to chasing shadows, picking every slight opportunity to back over the media with empty vessels.
“APC would definitely remain saddened that our government under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, exposed the massive fraud and fraudulent deduction of workers’ salary, an heinous act perpetrated by the immediate past administration.
“Today, workers under the Kano State Civil Service are pleased to receive 100 percent of their salary. Isn’t that enough shame for APC? Of what moral justification did the APC-led government have to accuse NNPP of corruption, when their ground-scale corrupt cases are already pending before the court?
“I am certain APC would not be happy also over the state of emergency declared by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on education, having inherited a near collapse system. APC should have buried its head in shame for bastardising education in Kano after siphoning capital allocation meant for the sector.”
” I will urge the public to see through their desperate attempts to discredit the NNPP government and focus on the facts”, Sagagi added.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
