Headlines
Fresh political feud erupts between Kwankwaso and Ganduje
Nasiru Yusuf
A fresh political feud was erupted between governor of Kano state Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his former boss Rabiu Kwankwaso.
KANO FOCUS reports that the new crisis started on Sunday when Kwankwaso said Ganduje lost his reelection bid in 2019 but powerful forces imposed him on the state.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Kwankwaso described the alleged imposition on Kano residents as the “worst crime in a democracy”.
The former governor said many have realised their mistake and are ready for real change in the state in 2023.
“This country is fully aware that Ganduje lost the election in 2019 in Kano, but the powers that be ensured that they imposed him on the majority,” he said.
“They imposed the will of the minority on the majority which is the worst crime in a democracy. I think everybody is paying the price now. I think some of them are trying to correct their mistakes now after the maximum damage made to the state. It is very unfortunate that many people could not see what the masses were seeing.
“There were reasons he would not have been allowed to contest in 2019, but the powers that be at the time insisted that he should continue. The masses decided to do what the leaders couldn’t do. They still came out to use power at that time and those of us who believe in peace didn’t want to start a crisis in Kano.”
The former minister said there are many young people joining the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 polls.
“Instead of us being weak, they are the ones getting weaker. Every day, we have people, the masses crossing to our side. Many of them who were below 18 years of age during the last elections, but are now of age, are coming to register with us,” he said.
Kwankwaso said direct primary mode is more democratic but governors do not want it because their power will be curtailed.
“After practicing the indirect primary, I can easily compare and say the direct one is more democratic and better than the indirect,” he said.
“One thing that I believe is that the governors and other powerful people will never want to approve a direct primary because the power will get out of the government houses and land in the hands of the voters and members of the party.
“So, they will never want it.”
Ganduje fires back
In a swift reaction, the Kano State government has dismissed a claim by the former governor that Ganduje did not win the 2019 gubernatorial election but imposed on the people by powerful forces.
The Commissioner for Information, Kano State, Muhammad Garba, in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Ganduje won election not imposed, KNSG dares Kwankwaso,’ refuted the claim, saying that Kwankwaso managed “a well-organised election rigging network, particularly in the metropolitan local governments, where youth, mostly without even voters’ card were engaged to perpetrate the act.”
According to Garba, “It was vividly clear that barely hours into the voting, most of the ballot boxes were said to have been stuffed, only for the Independent National Electoral Commission to discover that either card readers were not used or the voters are not captured in its data and therefore had to cancel the results from many centres and declared the election inconclusive.”
He noted that it was unfortunate that as a leader who was severally involved in the election process, Kwankwaso is still contesting the result of an election conducted by a statutory body and upheld by courts of law.
The commissioner said, recently, Kwankwaso was in the media cautioning his followers against unguarded utterances but ended up making incendiary rhetoric unbecoming a person of his calibre.
He said the interview Kwankwaso granted Sunday PUNCH in which he “attempted to rubbish the Ganduje administration” has done him more harm than good which completely negates the spirit of genuine peace and reconciliation he preached to his followers in the last few days to avoid derailing.
Garba stated that Kwankwaso should have thanked Ganduje for completing many of the projects he abandoned, saying that the people of Kano are paying the price for the unparalleled policy of continuity that saw the completion of many projects in the last six years in the state.
He enumerated the projects to include “Aminu Dantata Flyover, Yahaya Gusau Road and Prince Audu Underpass, Five-kilometre roads in Dawakin Tofa, Ungogo, Warawa, Rano and Tofa local governments; Mahmoud Salga Road, Jaba-Rimin Kebe Road, Independent Power Project at Tiga and Challawa Dams, among many others.”
On education, which was the centrepiece of the Kwankwaso administration, the commissioner noted that as far as education is concerned, the Ganduje administration has done more, including payment of burden of over N15bn backlog scholarships to needy students overseas left by the Kwankwaso administration.
He said that N3.5bn had been paid for students in Sudan; N4.5bn for Cyprus; N384m for those in France, while it is paying students in Egypt and India.
Garba said, in addition to implementing the Free and Compulsory Basic and Secondary Education, the Ganduje administration has carried out massive infrastructure development in all its tertiary institutions and accreditation of many courses they offer.
He, therefore, assured Nigerians that despite the agitation for reconciliation that is ongoing among party leaders, the Ganduje administration would accordingly react to any attempt to downplay “the achievements it has recorded and will not be distracted from carrying on with the responsibility for which it was elected into office.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Government has commenced the distribution of food items ahead of the 2026/1447AH Ramadan, following the approval of a Ramadan Feeding Programme Committee by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
KANO FOCUS reports that the development was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa.
According to the statement, food distribution began on Thursday, February 19, 2026, across 115 feeding centres located within the eight metropolitan local government areas of Kano State.
The governor said the initiative is designed to support the less privileged and ease the burden of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. He urged members of the newly constituted committee to discharge their responsibilities with dedication, transparency and fear of God to ensure the success of the programme.
Committee Composition
The committee is chaired by the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Ahmed Tijani Auwalu.
Other members include the Commissioner for Local Government, Muhammad Tajo Othman; Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf; Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Dahiru Hashim; Chairman of the Hisbah Board, Sheikh Ibrahim Shehu Maihula; and several special advisers and directors-general.
Also serving on the committee are the Accountant General of the State, Jamila Magaji Abdullahi; the Director General of the Hisbah Board, Abba Saidu Sufi; Director General, Media and Publicity, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa; and Director General, Protocol, Abdullahi Ibrahim Rogo, among others.
All chairmen of the eight metropolitan local government areas—Tarauni, Fagge, Kano Municipal, Gwale, Nassarawa, Dala, Kumbotso and T/Wada—are members of the committee, alongside representatives from the Government House and the Zakkat Commission.
Akibu Isa Murtala, Special Adviser on Administration, will serve as Secretary, while Bilkisu Shehu Maimota, Permanent Secretary/AGS in the SSG’s Office, will serve as Co-Secretary.
Governor Yusuf reaffirmed that the Ramadan Feeding Programme remains a key social intervention initiative of his administration, aimed at promoting unity and providing relief to vulnerable residents across Kano State during the fasting period.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques in Okene, Kogi State, Sheikh Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, has called on Muslims to safeguard their wealth from calamity by faithfully paying Zakah.
Delivering his Friday sermon on Ramadan 3, 1447 AH (February 20, 2026), Imam Gusau emphasised that Zakah is not a loss but a divine mechanism for purification and protection of wealth.
According to him, wealth is not preserved through stinginess or hoarding but through obedience to Allah by giving out the prescribed portion to the needy.
“Zakah cleanses wealth from greed and spiritual impurities and blesses the remainder with increase and barakah,” he said, quoting the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as saying: “Wealth never decreases from charity.” (Muslim).
The cleric explained that paying 2.5 per cent of eligible wealth purifies the remaining 97.5 per cent, adding that Zakah is not a voluntary act of generosity but an obligation and a right due to the poor.
Citing the Qur’an, Imam Gusau referenced Surah Al-Baqarah (2:261), where Allah likens those who spend in His cause to a grain that grows seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains. He described Zakah as “the most profitable investment,” promising returns both in this world and in the Hereafter.
He also warned against withholding Zakah, recalling a hadith recorded in Sahih Bukhari in which the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said that wealth hoarded without paying Zakah would appear on the Day of Judgment as a poisonous snake encircling its owner’s neck.
The Imam highlighted historical examples, noting that during the reign of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, proper administration of Zakah led to widespread prosperity to the extent that collectors reportedly struggled to find eligible recipients.
Imam Gusau narrated the well-known story of three men among the Children of Israel—one leprous, one bald and one blind—whom Allah tested with wealth after curing their ailments. According to traditions recorded in Bukhari and Muslim, only the formerly blind man acknowledged Allah’s favour and shared his wealth, earning divine pleasure, while the others faced punishment for their ingratitude.
He described Zakah as one of the five pillars of Islam, quoting the hadith: “Islam is built upon five…”—testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, establishing prayer, giving Zakah, performing Hajj, and fasting Ramadan.
The cleric stressed that Zakah applies only to wealth that reaches a minimum threshold (nisab) and is capable of growth, noting that Islam does not impose it on personal belongings such as homes, vehicles or household items.
He further explained that the Shari’ah requires only a small portion—often one-fortieth—of qualifying wealth, describing the system as just and merciful. He cited the Prophet’s instruction to Mu’adh ibn Jabal when he was sent to Yemen, directing that Zakah be taken from the wealthy and returned to the poor without seizing the best of people’s possessions.
Imam Gusau warned that greed had destroyed past nations, quoting the Prophet’s caution: “Beware of greed, for greed destroyed those before you.” (Muslim).
He noted that Zakah purifies the soul from miserliness and strengthens faith, describing it as proof of sincerity in belief. He also pointed to its social benefits, saying it addresses poverty, supports debtors and stranded travellers, and fosters brotherhood and social harmony.
Referring to early Islamic history, he recounted how Abu Bakr al-Siddiq fought tribes that refused to pay Zakah after the Prophet’s death, declaring that Zakah is the right of wealth and inseparable from prayer.
“Zakah is a bridge of Islam—whoever crosses it is saved, and whoever turns away from it is ruined,” Imam Gusau said.
He urged Muslims to calculate and pay their Zakah promptly and joyfully, describing it as a shield against calamity and a source of peace rather than punishment.
The sermon concluded with prayers for the victory of Islam, security in the land, righteous leadership, and well-being in this world and the Hereafter.
Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau can be reached via gusauimam@gmail.com
or 08038289761.
Ibrahim Khalil
The Federal Fire Service (FFS), Kano State Command, has confirmed a fire outbreak at the Fatima Simra Multi-Purpose Market in Dakata, Kano, in the early hours of Thursday, assuring the public that the blaze has been successfully contained.
In a statement issued on Friday, and signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Al-Hassan Ahmad Kantin, the Service disclosed that it received a distress call at about 5:11 a.m.
According to the statement, firefighters were immediately mobilised to the scene, where they commenced operations in collaboration with other emergency responders to bring the situation under control.
The FFS said the swift response and coordinated efforts of personnel prevented the fire from spreading to adjoining structures and properties within the market and surrounding areas.
“Damping down and overhaul operations are currently ongoing to eliminate any hidden embers and prevent possible re-ignition,” the statement added.
The Service noted that the actual cause of the fire remains unknown and will be determined after a comprehensive investigation by the appropriate authorities.
It also appreciated the cooperation of market stakeholders and members of the public during the emergency response, urging residents and business owners to remain vigilant and adhere strictly to fire safety measures, particularly in markets and other commercial centres.
The Command assured that a detailed report would be made available upon conclusion of the investigation.
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