FG wants to kill me over Sanusi emergence as Emir - Kwankwaso

• Four days after, protesters still Sanusi’s palace

KANO—Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, yesterday, raised alarm that the Federal Government was trying to harm him and his family by withdrawing a substantial number of his security aides and policemen.

The governor has also accused the Federal Government of sponsoring those he described as the enemies of the state to embark on violent protests across the state with a view to bringing down his administration.

Kwankwaso, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with four other governors to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, last December, told journalists in Abuja that he was concerned about the current standoff in his state by agents of the Federal Government.

The governor said: “I know that they are playing a lot of games. We do not know their intention and what they are going to do next. But I have to say like all other people in this country that everybody is concerned about his/her security, otherwise our lives are in the hands of the Almighty God.

“The bottom line is that we have seen a sign that there is a level of mischief coming from other places and I want to put it on record that whatever happens to me, my family or my state, Jonathan should be held responsible.”

The governor pointed out that it was strange for the Federal Government and PDP to be unduly involved in the choice of an emir for Kano when it was the traditional duty of the four kingmakers of the state and the state governor to approve whoever they recommend.

On choice of Sanusi

According to him, the choice of the former Central Bank, CBN, Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, became imperative following his selection as the first choice by the kingmakers, adding that his emergence had nothing to do with politics as erroneously imputed by the enemies of the state and its people.

He said: “The truth is that the more I think of the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the more I feel comfortable and happy because all the people who are friends to Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the government and the good people of Kano State are very happy with his selection.

“He is qualified by all standards— Western educa-tion, Islamic education— and a proud grandson and son of an emir. He has all the qualities needed to be appointed an emir.

“I believe he is the best. The truth is that some few people may not be happy with him and they want to do everything possible to create tension and crisis in the state, but they seem to forget that crisis is not good for anybody especially leaders, because you can start it but you do not know how it will end.”

Kwankwaso accused the Presidency of using the selection of Sanusi as the new emir to witch-hunt him and the people of the state just because he was no longer in PDP.

The governor, who wondered why the Presidency and PDP did not show interest in the recent selection of the new Emir of Gombe, which is a PDP state, asked those causing trouble in his state to steer clear or be ready for the consequences of stoking avoidable violence.

Selection process

Explaining how Sanusi emerged, Kwankwasso said: “In all, six people showed interest, three were recom-mended and presented and Sanusi was on the top of the list. As a result, we picked him.

“But that is not even the issue. The governor has the right to take number one, two, three or reject all and call for a fresh list. That is the position and nobody under the law can go and dictate to the state what it should do in appointing an emir.

“The problem we are facing is that we are not in PDP because recently there was vacancy in Gombe for a new emir and nobody instigated any violence when the new emir was chosen. What they do not know is that they are the absolute minority in Kano.

I believe that what they did in Kano, following the announcement of Sanusi as the new Emir, is wrong. But the fact of the matter in my opinion is that the current President does not know where the powers of Mr. President begin and end.

“It is not the duty of PDP or the Presidency to approve the appointment of an Emir in any state and it cannot do so in Kano. But if there is the post of the Emir of Nigeria let them appoint that one and leave us alone.”

Jubilation over

Sanusi’s ‘arrest’

Meanwhile, some part of Kano erupted in celebration, Tuesday night, following rumors that the newly appointed Emir of Kano, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had been arrested by the police and that the Federal Government had reversed his appointment.

Thousands of youths poured into the streets by 10p.m. around the emir’s palace, Kofar Nassarawa, Mandawari, Gwale, Kofar Kudu and environs celebrating and chanting pro-Jonathan slogans for effecting the change.

The celebrations, captured live by a local radio station, lasted two hours as news of the change spread across the city.

The celebrants, who were opposed to Sanusi’s candidacy, expressed happiness over his rumoured arrest and detention by the Federal Government.

Police still in place

Meanwhile, combat ready policemen are still occupying the emir’s palace four days after Sanusi was announced as the new emir, following the death of the former Emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

 

Viewed 1 times
FG wants to kill me over Sanusi emergence as Emir - Kwankwaso

Don"t gain from Boko Haram attack - APC tells Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the failed attempt by a presidential aide, Reno Omokri, to link suspended CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to the heightened attacks by Boko Haram, has shown the presidency may be seeking to profit, politically and otherwise, from the insurgency that has dispatched thousands to their early graves.

APC vs PDP

In a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Omokri’s attempt to push an article he authored into the public domain, using a fake name, is the clearest indication yet that the Presidency has a case to answer and may have been feeding Nigerians with doctored information.

It said the attempt to blame the recent spate of attacks by Boko Haram on Sanusi raises some pertinent questions: Is the presidency trying to gain political mileage from the death of innocent Nigerians, including school children, whom it could not protect? Could this be why the government has largely treated the insurgency with levity, especially in its early days? Does the presidency know more than it is telling Nigerians on Boko Haram? Is there a government Boko Haram that acts on instructions from some quarters? Is anyone in government profiting financially from the battle against Boko Haram that they may be sabotaging efforts to end the insurgency?

‘’The best way to know the answers to these questions is for the State Security Service to immediately arrest and question Omokri on why he was trying to act by subterfuge to misinform Nigerians, how long he has been engaged in this shameful and irresponsible act, what his connections are, if any, with Boko Haram, and whether or not his handlers, including the President, approve of his chicanery,’’ APC said.

The party said Omokri’s dangerous game should be seen within the context of some curious coincidence between several past Boko Haram attacks and certain low moments and/or at critical junctures in the administration of President Jonathan, giving the impression of an unseen hands playing the puppeteer.

Giving some instances, it said the Jan. 20th 2012 deadly attacks in Kano that left about 162 dead occurred at the height of the fuel subsidy protests that shut down the country; the Christmas Day attack in Suleja that killed about 37 people and injured 57 seems to be a distraction from the series of deadly attacks that had rocked the country earlier; the fact that Boko Haram struck within days of Alaemieyeseigha and Diyarbakir amnesty that attracted widespread criticism, and then the resurgence of Boko Haram that coincided with Sanusi’s suspension.

‘’The coincidences become even more curious when viewed against the apparently informed statements by two Governors in the North-east, where recent attacks have been concentrated. First, Borno Governor Kashim Shettima called attention to the fact that we need to do more to fortify our troops if they are to defeat Boko Haram, only for the statement to be twisted out of context and a vicious offensive launched against him by presidential attack dogs

‘’Secondly, Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, himself a retired military top brass, wondered aloud why the checkpoint near the FGC in Yobe was removed before the attack and who ordered the removal? Why the authorities have not been able to trace the deadly weapons being used by Boko Haram to the manufacturers? Who transports the weapons and how is that possible when the states affected are under a state of emergency? why retired Gen. Shuwa was killed and the army failed to respond during the attack on his residence, and why the air force base in Maiduguri was attacked even with an army unit nearby

‘’Thirdly, the fact that the attacks have spiked as we move closer to the 2015 elections, and a presidential aide is trying to link a perceived enemy of the Jonathan Administration to the insurgency suggest the government may be viewing the terrorist attacks as a wild card to be leveraged one way or the other ahead of the elections,’’ APC said.

The party said while these are complex issues, the first step in resolving them should start with Omokri, the President’s Social Media attack dog who may have now overreached himself! (0)

Don"t gain from Boko Haram attack - APC tells Jonathan