Kwankwaso: Kano Gov Reportedly Plots Deputy’s Impeachment If He Fails To Resign

The resignation of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and his imminent formal registration with the All Progressives Congress (APC) have placed his deputy, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, under intense political scrutiny.

Gwarzo has remained in the NNPP and openly reaffirmed his loyalty to the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, even as the governor and a large bloc of elected officials prepare to join the APC.

Governor Yusuf’s decision, announced on Friday, triggered widespread defections across Kano State.

Alongside the governor, 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives and 44 local government chairmen resigned from the NNPP. They are expected to complete their registration with the APC today.

Most members of the State Executive Council have also pledged loyalty to the governor and resigned from the NNPP, with only a few declining to follow the defection.

Prominent government officials who have remained aligned with Kwankwaso include the Deputy Governor; the Head of Service, Abdullahi Musa; the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mustapha Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Adamu Aliyu Kibiya; and the Commissioner for Science, Technology and Innovation, Yusuf Ibrahim Kofarmata.

A senior aide to the governor told Daily Trust that discussions were ongoing among loyal lawmakers in the House of Assembly on the possibility of initiating impeachment proceedings against the deputy governor if he refuses to resign.

The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said an earlier plan had been to remove the governor and replace him with his deputy when the defection gained momentum. The plan reportedly collapsed after Kwankwaso discovered that most lawmakers expected to execute it had already pledged loyalty to Yusuf.

According to sources in the governor’s camp, attention has now shifted to the possibility of impeaching the deputy governor after the defection process is completed, given Gwarzo’s continued allegiance to Kwankwaso and his rejection of the APC move.

Efforts by Daily Trust to get reactions from the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, and the deputy governor’s spokesperson, Ibrahim Shuaibu, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Daily Trust observed that while the affected commissioners have continued to attend Executive Council meetings, they have been largely absent from the governor’s public functions since the defection process began.

Instead, they have openly aligned with Kwankwaso, attending his political events.

A source familiar with the situation said the officials had not been sidelined by the government but were keeping a low profile to avoid tension.

“They cannot come out freely. Even supporters may put them on the spot. But the government has not sidelined them; they are just respecting themselves,” the source said.

A political analyst, Dr Kabiru Sufi, said the fate of the deputy governor would depend largely on his conduct and the response of the executive and legislature in the coming weeks.

“If he continues to absent himself from official functions and aligns more with factional activities, the House of Assembly may feel compelled to intervene,” he said.

Another analyst, Adnan Mukhtar Tudunwada, said Gwarzo’s options were limited to resignation or impeachment.

“He will first be sidelined and denied the opportunity to function fully. He will be reduced to a position worse than a spare tyre,” he said.

However, Kabir Yunusa Buhari expressed a contrary view, suggesting that Gwarzo could emerge as Kwankwaso’s next governorship candidate.