Kano residents and electorate have condemned the recent decision by the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to allocate 1,540 plots of land and N100 million to the leaders of the All Progressives Congress Polling Units Association, otherwise known as Yan’akwati.
Some of the residents who spoke with Arewa PUNCH on Wednesday expressed disappointment over the governor’s action, saying that while millions of the residents and electorates are wallowing in abject poverty with collapsed facilities, Governor Abba Yusuf deemed it fit to be discriminatory in the disbursement of the state’s resources meant for all indigenes and residents of the state irrespective of class, party affiliation, tribe, etc.
One of the residents, Ado Bala, wondered why the governor gave out the plots in disregard for equity and fairness to other residents of the state.
“I’m not happy with the recent distribution of plots of land and money to leaders of APC polling unit supporters.Does land in Kano belong to only APC supporters or members,” Bala said.
According to him, the action of the governor was a clear demonstration of selfishness and lack of regard for other residents of the state.
“Land is owned by the state and the governor only holds it in trust for the residents. As such, every indigene of Kano irrespective of his or her party inclination has the right over land in the state,” he said.
Another resident who simply gave his name as Shehu said there was a need for the governor to have a rethink over the unlawful land allocation matter which was not supposed to be given to only APC leaders or polling unit supporters association.
According to him, “the action of the governor is a clear demonstration of selflessness and favouritism over other residents of the state.
“There are supporters of various political parties in Kano and how will they feel when they hear about this abuse of power and office. It seems the governor lacks good advisers otherwise, he would not have allocated the plots of land in view of anticipated reactions from the public.
“This is a clear case of vote-buying ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he added.
A female respondent, Aisha Hassan, who resides in Hotoro quarters in Kano metropolis, also condemned the “gesture,” calling on Governor Yusuf to extend the same gesture to other residents of the state who do not necessarily subscribe to the APC style of leadership.
“Let the governor extend the gesture to other residents of the state, if he doesn’t want people to criticise him,” she advised.
She counselled other leaders, “especially political office holders at all levels to always be fair and just in all their actions so that they would be remembered and judged fairly after they’ve left the political office they hold in trust for the people.”
Also commenting on the issue, the state chairman of African Democratic Congress, Alhaji Musa Ungoggo, said that the gesture was aimed at bribing the APC leaders at the grassroots in order to rig the forthcoming election for the governor and other APC candidates in the state.
“Those party supporters are the ones stationed at the polling units to supervise the elections and in the process they are the ones that will connive with security agents to rig the election.
“In short, I can say that the governor has bribed the election riggers ahead of the 2027 general elections,” Ungoggo alleged.
He insisted that instead of wasting public funds on such party leaders or supporters, “the governor should have channeled the money into other sectors of the states that could be of immense benefit to the people of the state.
“We have over 6.2 million pupils in our primary schools and such schools lack adequate learning facilities and qualified teachers. Most teachers don’t even have the minimum teaching qualification, not even a Grade II certificate,” he said.
Ungoggo cited the typical case of a primary school in Dantamashe village, Rimin Kebe in Ungoggo Local Government Area where in a class you can get 467 pupils.
“Why didn’t the state government construct additional classrooms to decongest the existing classrooms.
“There are no fewer than 17 dams in the state which have never witnessed dredging. Why should the governor waste such resources on party leaders instead of addressing these problems?” the ADC chairman queried.
When contacted, the state chairman of the People’s Democratic party, Alhaji Yusuf Ado Kibiya, declined comments because, according to him, he had travelled out of the state for quite some time now and as such would not want to make any comments until he verifies the facts of the matter.
“I cannot comment on this matter because I have been out of the town for quite some time now. I need to carefully examine and clarify the facts of the matter first,” he told our correspondent.