The Kano state government has stated that the Kwankwasiyya movement’s claim to have withdrawn from the forthcoming local government elections in the state “is nothing but a face-saving scheme considering that it has no platform to partake in the polls.”
The Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, who disclosed this in a statement in reaction to the movement’s decision to boycott the election, said the decision was to reassure its gullible members that “it is still relevant.”
According to him, the movement “is not a political party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction to which it belongs is not recognised by the national headquarters of the party, so there is no way it can participate in any election.”
Garba said the tenure of the caretaker committee chairman of the “unrecognised faction of the party, Danladi Abdulhameed,” who addressed the press conference announcing the purported withdrawal had since expired, “which further indicates that it is just a farce.”
The statement read in part, “We are not surprised at this claim by the beleaguered group which is in legal battle with another faction of the party over its status and that the PDP headquarters by the provision of the constitution of the party only identify and recognise with the state Working Committee to take charge in the affairs of the party in such a circumstances.”
The commissioner said further that while the All Progressives Party (APC) had already ensured the emergence of its candidates for the local government election through consensus or conduct of primary election.
He also dismissed allegation embezzlement of funds earmarked for the conduct of the election which, he added, were for the purchase of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials as well as logistics for the exercise slated for January 16, 2021, as requested by the KANSIEC.
Garba gave the assurance that the State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) would ensure the conduct of free and fair election in the state.
