The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Honourable Abdullahi Ata, has condemned the inflammatory and reckless remarks made by the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the lingering Emirship tussle in Kano.
It will be recalled that the Kano Deputy Governor, Comrade Gwarzo, demanded that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “remove the emir he enthroned and kept in a graveyard.”
The Honourable Minister, therefore, demands that the Deputy Governor of Kano State, and by extension, the Kano State Government, withdraw their inflammatory remarks within the next 72 hours and issue a formal apology to President Tinubu for their reckless outburst.
Failure to comply with this demand, he warned, will leave critical stakeholders within the All Progressives Congress (APC) with no choice but to seek redress through all available legal and political avenues.
Furthermore, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development called Gwarzo a “coward” for attacking Tinubu, describing his remarks as “disrespectful.” This was stated in a press release issued on his behalf by his media aide, Seyi Olorunsola, titled: “Remarks Against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
According to him, “The Deputy Governor’s audacity in publicly addressing the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in such an uncouth and disrespectful manner is unacceptable, disgraceful, and an affront to the dignity of the nation’s highest office.”
He further emphasized, “The Kano State Government, through its Deputy Governor, has once again demonstrated its penchant for lawlessness and blatant disregard for democratic institutions.”
By demanding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “remove the emir he enthroned and kept in a graveyard,” he noted that the Kano State Government has extended its “reckless and undemocratic conduct” to the Presidency itself.
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“Such an unguarded and irresponsible statement only exposes the Kano State Government’s failure to grasp the basic principles of governance, federalism, and democratic engagement,” he added.
The Minister also reminded that the Emirship matter is a subject of litigation and, as such, subjudice. Yet, despite the legal processes in place, he accused the Kano State Government and its agents of persisting in making “incendiary and contemptuous statements,” seeking to exert undue pressure on the judiciary and undermine the rule of law.
“This pattern of conduct amounts to sheer political rascality and a complete lack of respect for democratic norms and due process,” he declared.
“It is crucial to remind Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his administration that the Presidency is not an extension of their local political theater,” he said.
“The Office of the President must be accorded the highest level of respect, and no government, no matter how misguided or emboldened by lawlessness, has the right to dictate terms to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. If the Kano State Government believes it has a legitimate claim, it must channel its grievances through proper legal and constitutional processes rather than resorting to incendiary rhetoric and public grandstanding.”
The Honourable Minister reiterated his commitment to upholding the integrity of democratic institutions, ensuring that “no state government, no matter how desperate, is allowed to subvert the sanctity of the rule of law.”
“The people of Kano and Nigerians at large deserve leaders who understand governance, not politicians who thrive on reckless propaganda and political thuggery,” he stated.
He concluded, “Nigeria is a nation governed by laws, and no amount of intimidation or reckless utterances will change that reality.”
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