The Kano State deputy governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, is facing mounting pressure from top government officials to resign his position following his refusal to align with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Yusuf’s move on Monday has triggered internal tensions within the state government, with his deputy opting instead to identify with Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, in a political realignment that has placed loyalties under the microscope in Kano.
Sources told Daily Trust that discussions are ongoing among lawmakers loyal to the governor on the possibility of initiating impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor should he refuse to step down voluntarily.
Kano has witnessed a similar scenario in the past. In August 2018, Professor Hafiz Abubakar resigned as deputy governor following a breakdown in his relationship with then-governor Ganduje. His resignation came amid moves by lawmakers to impeach him, a process that had not been concluded before he stepped down.
Speaking publicly on the matter for the first time on Thursday, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, said it would be honourable for the deputy governor to resign if he could no longer align politically with Governor Yusuf.
Waiya made the remarks during a live radio programme while responding to questions on the deputy governor’s reported decision to remain loyal to the Kwankwasiyya political movement, despite the governor’s recent defection.
