Maude Rabiu Gwadabe

Kano state governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje says he is yet to form a cabinet because he is trying to compensate all the different parties and groups that supported his second term bid.

KANO FOCUS reports that Mr Ganduje, is yet to form a cabinet more than four months after taking office.

It could be recalled that the governor had formed a cabinet within three weeks of his first tenure in office.

However, Mr Ganduje said the process of nominating commissioners in his second term is taking a longer time because of the different forces that supported him during the 2019 election.

In an interview with the Hausa service of the Voice of America (VOA), Mr Ganduje said he will soon announce the names of prospective commissioners.

“Some of my former commissioners will be re-nominated while others will not.

However, those that are not returning as commissioners will still be accommodated in the government.” He said.

Constitutional Provision

The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has mandated governors to nominate commissioners, who shall be screened and confirmed by the states Houses of Assembly.

Section 193 (2) provided for regular meetings of governors and deputy governors with their commissioners for the purposes of:

“(a) determining the general direction of the policies of the Government of the state;

“(b) co-ordinating the activities of the Governor, the Deputy Governor and the Commissioners of the Government of the State in the discharge of their executive responsibilities, and;

“(c) advising the Governor generally in the discharge of his executive functions, other than those functions with respect to which he is required by this Constitution to seek the advice or act on the recommendation of any other person or body.”

However, the constitution did not specify a time frame for governors to ensure the establishment of a cabinet.

Political Consideration

Following the 2019 elections, only 10 out of the 36 governors in Nigeria have so far formed cabinets in their states.

In Kano, political considerations have made it difficult for the governor to form a cabinet.

In 2015, Mr Ganduje ran for election as a candidate of the Kwankwasiyya group within the APC.

It was therefore easy for the group to agree on their nominees for commissioners even before Mr Ganduje took the oath of office.

However in 2019, running as the head of his own Gandujiyya faction, Mr Ganduje needed the support of other political blocs in order to win against the Kwankwasiyya candidate after the group decamped to the opposition PDP.

Notable politicians who supported Mr Ganduje’s ambition include current senator and former governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, former deputy governor, Hafiz Abubakar and a host of disgruntled Kwankwasiyya and PDP members who decamped in protest against the alleged high-handedness of the group leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.