October 20, (THEWILL) – When the state chairman of a political party governing only one state in the country decides to suspend state functionaries, there is a need to look beyond the headlines.
Last Monday, the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa, announced the suspension of the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, and the Commissioner for Transportation, Muhammad Diggol, for alleged disrespect to the party. He said the two officials were sanctioned following their alleged disrespect to the party, abuse of power and office and disloyalty to the party.
THEWILL gathered that the suspension came barely a few moments after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf brokered a reconciliation between the SSG and the aggrieved members of his constituency.
According to Dungurawa, the suspension came after the party received multiple complaints from the ward and local government leader s of the party against the two top government officials.
He said the duo were suspended because they disrespected the party and its leadership.
“The party cannot tolerate actions that undermine its leadership and structure. After receiving formal complaint letters from their wards and upon confirmation of the allegations by the local leadership, we had no other option but to take this decisive step”, the chairman explained.
The leadership of the NNPP in Kano North, under the chairmanship of Sulaiman Dambatta, further verified the allegations, which led to the ultimate decision to suspend both officials.
The suspension of the two government officials is coming less than two weeks to the local government election in the state, scheduled to take place on October 26.
When he was approached by journalists for comments, the National Leader and presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said he would not comment on the ongoing internal crisis rocking the party in the State.
Kwankwaso, when approached by journalists at his Miller Road residence in Kano on Tuesday, said he had nothing to say about the crises.
“I don’t want to talk, please. Don’t drag me into what I am not supposed to be dragged into.
“The chairman of the party has spoken and he has been speaking. Reach out to him,” the leader of the Kwankwasiyya political movement said.
THEWILL recalls that the ruling party in the state said that any candidate vying for the chairmanship and councillorship positions on its platform found wanting or with questionable character stands the risk of forfeiting their ambition.
Party Chairman, Dungurawa, who said the party wants to maintain its integrity card, considering the quality of personalities managing the party at all levels, disclosed that the party set up a committee to that effect to ascertain the academic qualifications, drug test status and criminal history of the candidates.
Arguing that the party and the Kwankwasiya movement had invested so much in terms of integrity and would watch every move to rubbish its hard earned reputation, he appealed to interested candidates who are currently holding positions either in the state or local government to resign their positions by the end of the month to avoid violation of the processes.
He said, “On the personalities of those to contest in our party, we have invested much, as Kwankwasiyya Movement, on integrity and most of our programs are on education. Most of our remaining supporters are educated.
“The Kwankwasiyya Movement has been able to produce 650 professors, we have 2,700 PhD holders. In our party, we don’t have unwanted people coming in.
“A committee has been set up to make things easier for contestants, anybody found wanting in character, our party will not nominate him as a candidate.
“We are even going to buy scratch cards to check the WAEC certificates presented by the candidates whether they are fake.”
However, the crisis bedevilling the NNPP deepened on Monday with the suspension of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Abdullahi Baffa Bichi, and the state Commissioner of Transportation, Muhammad Diggol, for alleged disrespect to the party.
The crisis is reportedly a fallout of the party’s recent primaries ahead of the polls, which left many aspirants alleging favouritism and improprieties in the conduct of the exercise.
The development is seen as the NNPP’s first dose of crisis in the state since the party captured power during the 2023 general elections.
At a deeper level, however, the under currents driving the suspension reportedly stems from a crisis said to be brewing between the and Kwankwaso. The presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general election is said to have directed the governor to sack two top government officials including Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Abdullahi Bichi.
According to the reports, Kwankwaso is uncomfortable with Bichi’s refusal to take instructions from him in handling some of his official duties.
Reports say, sources close to the governor said Yusuf would rather have a one-to-one discussion with Kwankwaso over the issue than to act on his ‘orders’.
It further gathered that a group known as “Abba Tsaya Da Kafarka,” meaning,”Abba,Wake Up And Assert Yourself” has emerged, in support of Yusuf.
According to sources close to the group, it has become important for Yusuf to stop behaving like an errand boy.
The source said the group believed that Kwankwaso hand-picked most of the government’s political office holders, including the commissioners. Members of the National Assembly on the platform of the NNPP recently met with Yusuf and urged him to assert his independence.
Similarly, Alhaji Hamisu Dumgurawa, chairman NNPP in Kano State, has announced the suspension of the SSG and Alhaji Muhammad Doggon, Commissioner for Transport from the party. He said that the two principal officers were suspended over alleged ant-party activities. When contacted Kwankwaso said he was in line with the actions of the party chairman, adding that as a loyal party man, he would not contradict the party leadership.
“I will not say anything more since the party chairman has already addressed it”, Kwakwanso said.
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
