By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
Governor Abba Yusuf faces an intensifying political crisis over his choice of a new deputy governor, with rival factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) locked in a fierce battle ahead of his Monday night meeting with Kano lawmakers at Government House.
The high-stakes consultations follow the governor’s visit last week to former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje in Abuja – a move insiders describe as an effort to consolidate ties with the party’s old guard.
Party sources reveal that both Ganduje and the Presidency are backing former Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Sule Garo, as their preferred candidate. But the push has met stiff resistance from influential camps in Kano North and Kano South, led by Senators Barau Jibrin and Kawu Sumaila, who are demanding a three-man shortlist rather than a single nominee.
Among those opposing Garo’s nomination is former APC state chairman Abdullahi Abbas. According to party insiders, Abbas objects on grounds of political imbalance, noting that Garo hails from the same local government area as Senator Barau. Critics further argue that Kano North already holds a ministerial position through Mariya Bunkure.
Beyond zoning disputes, legal clouds hang over Garo’s candidacy. Sources confirm that Garo – alongside Ganduje and others – faces corruption charges filed by the Yusuf administration at the Kano State High Court. Additionally, an appeal involving Garo and his brothers remains pending at the Court of Appeal in Suit No. K/133C/2024, filed by the Kano State Government on March 12, 2026.
Senator Barau’s camp is reportedly considering names including Salisu Sagir Takai and former Commissioner for Youths, Kabiru Lakwaya. Other sources indicate the senator is also proposing a neutral contender: former Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Ahmed Garba Bichi.
The Kano South group, meanwhile, is championing former State House of Assembly Speaker and current Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal Constituency member, Kabiru Rurum.
The governor had earlier struck a deal with Kano State House of Assembly Speaker Jibrin Falgore to nominate him as deputy if he and allied lawmakers defected to the APC. That arrangement is now under strain following pressure from the Presidency.
Concerns have been raised over Falgore’s limited political experience. Born in 1984 in Falgore village, he was first appointed a local government councillor on the recommendation of his distant relative, Murtala Garo, before rising to Speaker.
According to Daily Nigerian, lawmakers are insisting Falgore be made deputy governor as previously agreed. Assembly insiders say at least 28 of the 40 assembly members are backing him.
Complicating matters further, impeccable sources reveal that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Vice President Kashim Shettima to communicate his preference for Garo to the governor. The Presidency’s stance is reportedly shaped in part by the recent departure of former APC governorship candidate Nasiru Gawuna from the party.
Ganduje’s recent meeting with Tinubu is said to have strengthened Garo’s prospects, with the former governor arguing Garo’s grassroots support makes him indispensable – and warning of the risk of losing him to the ADC.
With pressure mounting from the Presidency, party leaders, and zonal blocs, the governor finds himself at a crossroads, sources say – weighing options that could determine his chances of securing a second term in 2027.
