Following his return to Kano after the election petition tribunal judgment declared him victorious, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje received a tumultuous welcome from the people as BASHIR MOHAMMED narrates.
He was in New York, the United States of America, when Justice Halima Shamaki Muhammad fixed Wednesday October 2, 2019 as the date for the pronouncement of the final verdict in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging his victory in the 2019 gubernatorial election.
As the time the judgment was delivered, he was in the entourage of President Muhammadu Buhari to South Africa on a diplomatic fence- mending mission to that country and also to be part of the summit of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission.
That was when the Shamaki-led tribunal affirmed his victory as the duly-elected governor of Kano state after a marathon legal battle at the governorship election petition tribunal.
He is Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who defeated his challenger, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf and PDP after the tribunal dismissed the petition challenging Ganduje’s victory on the premise that the petitioners presented no incontrovertible evidence to prove their case beyond any reasonable doubt.However, with the election petition tribunal demystifying such a long running jigsaw puzzle, it brought to an end the anxiety that had enveloped the supporters of both Governor Ganduje and Kabir-Yusuf thereby setting the business of leadership and governance in Kano on a path of flourishing again.
Feelers in the political circles in Kano have undoubtedly pointed to the insinuation that even the long delay in the appointment of new commissioners by the governor was accentuated by the tribunal’s final verdict which had for long been waited and that the governor had heeded the wise counsel of those who believed that jumping the gun would be a fool-hardy decision with the petition at the tribunal.
Ganduje, according to political pundits, has proved himself to be a silent warrior, fighting his detractors from his ideological trenches. This he does by keeping himself busy mobilising his supporters, setting a date for his return to the ancient city of Kano after about two weeks absence in order to celebrate his victory at the tribunal.
The sea of human headsIt was a fact one cannot dismiss by a whimper that an unprecedented crowd trooped out last week to welcome Gov Ganduje who came after two weeks of officials assignment outside the state.
Thousands of supporters took over the streets of Kano chanting victory songs, celebrating the tribunal verdict which gave Ganduje victory.
Governor Ganduje who was in the Southern African country with President Buhari when the tribunal nullified the petition of PDP’s governorship candidate, was availed the opportunity to celebrate his victory with a mammoth crowd that left all they were doing to welcome him.
Blueprint investigation shows that although the Max Air aircraft landed at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport at exactly 1:30 P.M, residents in their thousands had besieged the airport as early as 7 a.m waiting patiently until his arrival.
Apart from the long convoy, thousands of people stood along the streets waving their hands at the snail-pacing convoy, chanting songs in honour of the governor.
The long convoy that would have ordinarily taken 10 minutes from the airport to the Government House spent three hours as people resorted to long trek due to the snail movement of the long convoy.Security operatives had a hectic day controlling the peaceful but excited crowd who defied the scotching sun to welcome him.
He has touched governance positively – APC stalwart With the victory, people began to express their views in an aura of considerable euphoria and jubilation.
Speaking on the victory, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, Alhaji Musa Danbirni, described the governor as someone who has having touched governance and leadership with maturity in a democratic setting, adding that he is a master of political statecraft who has ran over his detractors.
According to him, those fighting him were only fighting a lost battle with no justifiable premise, pointing out that he has crossed a thorny rubicon in addition to traversing turbulent waters in the face of daunting challenges which are natural in the life of a politician worth his onion.
“I am today convinced that God is on the side of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. He has to the consternation of his critics proved that he is in charge. We are all here to express our joy and elation for having the victory to make him stay put in the saddle of authority. His critics and foes would only bury their heads in shame on a wild goose chase.
“What we want from him is the will power to consolidate his monumental achievements in his first tenure in office. He has really performed wonders in the areas of critical infrastructure and there is no doubt about it. Look at his free and compulsory education policy which totally abolished school fees and the provision of school uniforms to pupils; it is a remarkable feat that we must not forget for eternity,” he added.
He however stated that the time has come for everyone to sheathe their swords for more high-profile developmental projects to take shape, positing that putting a cog in the wheel of such endeavour would be a great disservice to the interest of the entire Kano citizens.
“We are tired of endless mudslinging from those who view politics from their myopic points of view. What we need at present is revolution on all sectors of human endeavour. Ganduje, to me, has lighted his candle in both ends and achieved a stunning progress as a politician in the present democratic dispensation,” he affirmed.
“Imagine the mammoth crowd that assembled at the airport to give him a tumultuous reception. Even a blind man can discern from the background that the crowd was indeed unprecedented. It was a mark of respect, love, affection and great honour. You can read from his lips that he was jubilant and excited. I have never seen such a crowd cheering the peoples’ governor since he was elected in the last four years and now,” he retorted.
He is the people’s choice – Supporter
Speaking in the same vein, a renowned supporter of the governor, Malam Sanusi Hamza Dawaki, said Ganduje’s victory at the election petition tribunal and the rousing welcome he received upon his return to the state after two weeks has demonstrated that he was the real choice of God which no sane person should dispute.
He said, “I want to make it categorically clear to everyone in Kano that Ganduje is the best choice of choices. God in His infinite wisdom and authority had chosen him to lead the struggle in propelling Kano to greater heights. Look at his wonderful achievements in all the nooks and crannies of Kano within a short span of time. He is unrivaled in such a direction.
“He is courageous and never succumbs to the rantings of his critics. He has survived all form of conspiracy theories spear-headed to bring his popularity down but God has really answered his prayers by putting him on top of his political detractors,” he posited.
Governor Ganduje himself, left no one in the dark shortly after arriving Kano Government House that his concept of free eduction and the integration of the Almajiri system of education would remain the core areas of his priority on education, stressing that he would never be cajoled into adopting a snail speed posture.
He noted that his victory at the election petition tribunal had gingered his confidence to sustain the tempo of his administration and serve the people with exceptional vigour, adding that with the populace being properly educated, he has fulfilled an important part of his mission as a leader.
He therefore called on his supporters to avoid the culture of unnecessary mudslinging but work towards re-positioning the state on a sound pedestal stressing however that paving the path of progress would never be a far cry, when heads are put together.
What is now trending on the lips of pundits and other political observers in Kano is how the business of governance would be run devoid of extending the olive branch to those who were believed to have ruined the governor’s struggle to make the state a bastion of formidable excellence as it was during his first tenure.
