By: AHMAD SULEIMAN, Kano
The battle of supremacy between Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and member representing his hometown, Dawakin Tofa, Tofa and Rimingado Federal Constituency, Honourable Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe has continued to generate political tensions in Kano as the governor vehemently opposed the construction of modern classrooms in various primary and secondary schools in the area.
Engr. Jobe who is the chairman Committee on Rural Development in the House of Representatives, sought for various constituency projects worth over a billion Naira to his constituents, ranging from water infrastructure, road construction, electricity facilities, youth empowerment, health and educational infrastructure in the three local government areas he represents.
In what may be viewed as playing bad politics, Governor Ganduje is believed to may have become jittery over the numerous developmental projects due to the fact that a battle line has been drawn between the two political giants as the Governor is believed to be making moves to replace Hon Jobe with his favourite son, Engr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje popular called (Abba) in 2023.
Sources close to the first family confirmed that the decision to field Abba Ganduje as APC’s candidate for Dawakin Tofa Federal Constituency created intra-family chaos with his first son, Abdul’aziz Abdullahi Ganduje who was the initial person to express his interest to contest but the first lady Prof. Hafsat Gauyama Ganduje overruled the decision in favour of Abba, a staff of the National Communications Commission who has been on leave of absence in the last two years to support his father run the affairs of Kano.
In the early hours of Thursday, 7th October, 2021, the Executive Chairman, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, QS Ado Tambai Kwana and LGEA Education Secretary, Malam Ado Yahaya Kwa had implemented the order of the Governor of Kano State to stop contractors from one of sites in Government Girls Arabic Secondary School DawakinTofa (GGASS Shonikan) located opposite the LG secretariat in Dawaki town, where they evicted the technicians working on the site that was commissioned by Hon. Jobe and warned the principal not to allow anyone to erect any structure in the school.
During the commissioning of the project, Hon. Tijjani Abdulkadir Jobe, who was ably represented by one of his senior aides, Hon. Mainasara Yanoko said, the project in GGASS Dawaki is designed build a six well furnished modern classrooms at a cost of over fifty million naira (N50m).
It would be recalled that Governor Ganduje had in 2020, also rejected a road construction project worth over two hundred million Naira in Gulu town, Rimingado Local Government Area brought by Hon. Jobe as part of the rural access initiative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development but with the intervention of the then Minister Alh. Sabo Nanono, the project has seen the light of the day.
All efforts to reach the Dawakin Tofa LGA chairman, Ado Tambai Kwa has proved abortive , as all his lines were put off after implementing the directive allegedly from the Governor to stop the development project at GGASS Dawaki Tofa.
