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How Buhari’s associates, relatives were defeated in APC primaries
Nasiru Yusuf
In what appears the diminishing of President Muhammadu Buhari’s influence within his ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), many of his loyalists, aides, and relatives were beaten in primaries to elect the party’s candidates in the next year’s general elections.
KANO FOCUS reports that while some of them contested to be the party’s candidates in elective positions during the general elections, others sought to be rẹ-elected as the party’s representatives for positions they currently occupy.
Below is the list of Buhari’s associates and relatives who were defeated during the APC primary elections.
Sha’aban Sharada
Sha’aban Sharada is the former Personal Assistant broadcast media to President Buhari. He is also the chairman House Committee on Internal Security.
He is believed to be one of Mr Buhari’s closest allies from Kano. He has been a staunch supporter of Mr Buhari since his days in the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and one of the founding members of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), which merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria to form the ruling All Progressives Congress.
Mr Sharada failed in his bid to become the governorship candidate of the party in Kano. He was defeated by Governor Ganduje’s anointed candidate Nasiru Gawuna by 2,289 votes to 30 votes.
In a statement sent to journalists a day after the primary, Mr Sharada said he nearly escaped assassination and that his supporters were attacked and some killed.
He called on security agencies and party leadership to “investigate and punish the perpetrators. He also asked for the nullification of the primary election saying it was marred by irregularities, vote-buying and intimidation.”
Ismaeel Ahmed
Ismaeel Ahmed is the immediate past senior special assistant to the President on social investment.
Mr Ahmed sought to be the APC candidate for Kano Central Senatorial District but stepped down just before the commencement of the primary elections due to the intervention of the governor of the state Abdullahi Ganduje.
“In the last few weeks, we ran a good campaign for the Senate of my Senatorial District in Kano. We toured all the Local Governments and interacted with delegates and party leaders and elders.
“However, yesterday I got a call from our leader and Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and he asked if I could step down for some reasons, I met with my team and supporters and pored over all other considerations and knowing that in a delegate election it’s all about what the Party leadership wants, we stepped down, ” he wrote on Facebook.
Bashir Ahmad
A former new media aide to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmad, failed to secure the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) ticket to contest the House of Representative seat for Gaya/Ajingi/Albasu Federal Constituency, Kano, despite his relationship with the president.
Mr Ahmad was defeated by the incumbent member, Abdullahi Gaya, with 109 to 16 votes.
The election was conducted by the chairman of the Kano Municipal local government council Fa’izu Alfindiki, a staunch loyalist of Mr Ganduje.
Mr Ahmad had on the day of the election written on his Facebook page that he left the venue of the primary to protect his supporters because thugs were intimidating them.
“As an aspirant, I left the venue of the primary election for Gaya, Ajingi and Albasu Federal Constituency, because of the security of our majority delegates, if want to compete with the best, thugs shouldn’t be part of any election,” Mr Ahmad wrote.
The following day, Mr Ahmad in a statement rejected the result of the election and called for a fresh, free and fair election.
Sani Sha’aban
Sani Shaaban, an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, also lost a bid to secure the APC governorship ticket in the Kaduna state governorship primary
Mr Sha’aban came third with 20 votes only from 1,245 delegates accredited for the exercise.
Uba Sani, Nasir El-Rufai’s anointed candidate, polled 1,149 votes to clinch the governorship ticket while Bashir Abubakar, scored 37 votes.
However, Mr Sha’a ban kicked against the entire exercise, alleging that the poll was fraught with irregularities.
He alleged that the election was a ‘charade’, as most of the delegates from the 23 local governments were locked out of the voting venue and denied the right to vote for candidates of their choice.
Muftahu Muhammad
President Muhammadu Buhari’s nephew, and member representing Daura/Sandamu/Maiadua Federal Constituency, Fatuhu Muhammad, also failed in his bid to be re-elected as the party’s candidate for the Constituency.
Mr Muhammad lost the primary to Aminu Jamu who polled 117 votes to Mr Muhammad’s 30 votes.
Faruk Adamu
Faruk Ádámù is another close associate of Mr Buhari who lost the APC governorship primary in Jigawa state.
He was defeated by the deputy governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, aka Danmodi, with 1,220 to 15 votes.
He was the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives between 2003 – 2007.
Mr Adamu had also failed to secure the slot of the deputy national chairman (North) of APC during the last convention.
He was said to have lost reelection due to his unflinching support to Mr Buhari.
Nasiru Yusuf
The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) has commended the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), for their financial investment of $108,493,125, 871 in girls education programme in Northern Nigeria.
KANO FOCUS reports that Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Kano Field Office, Mr Rahama Farah, gave the commendation at the official closing of the 10-year intervention project GEP3 in Kano on Monday.
He said that the 10-year project had invested heavily in teacher development which improved the learning of teachers in Integrated Qur’anic and Islamic schools.
Farah said that the trained teachers demonstrated the minimum teaching competencies to about 30 per cent against the 2 per cent baseline impacting on learning outcomes.
According to him, “in spite of achievements of the project, there is still need for more investment in education and girls education in Nigeria and Kano, to ensure that all children had equal opportunity in education.
“Kano has the highest transition rate to junior secondary schools of only 28 per cent, which means that we need to work hard to remove the bottlenecks that prevented positive transition,” Farah said.
The Chief also pledged continous partnership with Kano state government in providing educational support for all.
In his remarks, the Kano state Commissioner for Education, Abdullahi Yan Shana, has commended the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) for their intervention project on Girls education project (GEP3) in Kano.
He said that the project had indeed improved the capacity of teachers to deliver effective learning and improved governance to strengthen girls education.
According to him, “The 20172018 annual schools census of the primary school pupils stood at 3,807,588 with 1,9778, 884 as girls.
“But in 20192020, the Annual School Census indicates 3,933,572 in which 2,050,309 were girls.
This signifies that there was 96.5 per cent increase of girls enrolment and retention in the state.
Yan Shana specifically commended some component of the intervention such as community engagement of mothers association.
He explained that the intervention had indeed gingered and sensitised rural women to the benefits of girls education.
KANO FOCUS reports that the Girls Education Project (GEP3) is a 10 years intervention supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The project was implemented in partnership with the Federal and state ministries of education and other educational agencies in Kano and was funded by the UK government through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Nasiru Yusuf
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has inaugurated a very powerful committee on inter-religious conference, aimed at organising a befitting national conference towards a more tolerant Nigeria.
KANO FOCUS reports that the event took place at Africa House, Government House, Kano, Monday.
The event was attended by some popular clergymen from Islam and Christianity as 23-member committee was inaugurated.
The occasion, according to him, is being “Considered very well for the development of the state, the nation and humanity in general.
“The management of diversity in Nigeria has become an issue. A very important issue. There must always be respect of one religion on other religions.”
Governor Ganduje argued that, Kano, being an oldest civilisation, that is highly cosmopolitan, “…for the state to continue coexist with other nationalities, we need programmes like this. We are trying to consolidate on that.”
Sheikh Muhammad Bin Uthman, Chief Imam of Sahaba Juma’at Mosque, is the Chairman of the Committee. While Arch. Bishop Peter Ogunmuyiwa (PhD) is the Co-Chair of the Committee. State Commissioner for Information Muhammad Garba serves as the Committee Secretary.
Governor Ganduje said “The membership of the committee looks at the diversity of this nation, the utterances you people are making, your behaviours towards diversity management and your commitment to nation building.
“You are to organise a befitting inter-religious Conference, you choose the appropriate theme, select appropriate date, day and venue for the proposed Conference. Part of your terms of reference, is to also provide adequate publicity, before during and after the conference.”
Nasiru Yusuf
The leadership of Ward Development Committees and People with Disabilities have commended Kano state government for increasing the number of beneficiaries of the basic healthcare provision fund (BHCPF).
KANO FOCUS reports that the state chairman of Ward Development Committee (WDC) Malam Bashir Adamu Jigirya Secretary General of Nigeria Association of the Blind Kano state chapter, Comrade Abdralrazak Ado Zango, made the commendation in an interview with journalists at PERL/ECP office.
Jigirya commended Kano state government for its prompt response to their demand saying that BHCPF has improved the health of the vulnerable and people with special needs.
Malam Bashir Adamu Jigirya
He however, raised concern on how National Identification Number (NIN) submission hindered some beneficiaries from accessing BHCPF services citing new born babies as example.
Also speaking Comrade Abdralrazak Ado Zango, explained that they advocated for the increment due to the fact that, despite the total number of 3,474 forms allocated to the 9 clusters of PWD, leprosy survivors are yet to be enrolled into the BHCPF scheme because of finger print capture.
Comrade Abdralrazak Ado Zango
He maintained that, discrimination against people with special needs,choice of health facilities, failure to refer spinal cord injury patients to facilities, are some of the challenges bedeviling the scheme.
“We are calling in KSCHMA to ensure continuous orientation of health workers to change their attitudes towards PWDs,” Zango appealed.
BHCPF enrollment
It would be recalled that Kano state Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA), has approved the enrollment of more beneficiaries of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF), to promote inclusive access to health services.
The approval was sequel to an advocacy letter, signed by coalition of citizens groups which comprises of CSOs, PWDs, WDCs dated August 23, 2022, supported by PERL/ECP, addressed to the Executive Secretary Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KSCHMA) Dr. Halima Mijinyawa.
BHCPF enrollment
The advocacy centred around increase in number of beneficiaries, to reduce out of pocket expenditure to access health care services.
Similarly, another letter was sent to the Kano state ministry of finance by the group, seeking for the status of 1% consolidated Revenue fund (CRF), to address vulnerable package for contributory beneficiaries.
A circular obtained by KANO FOCUS showed approval of increasing the number of people living with special needs and vulnerable groups, into the Programme across the forty four local government areas.
BHCPF enrollment
Lafiya programme and PERL/ECP are providing technical support to Kano State Led Accountability Mechanism (KanSLAM) and Ward Development Committees (WDCs) towards successful implementation of BHCPF.
The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) scheme.
The BHCPF is a health intervention scheme established under National Health Act (2014) to provide basic health care services to poor and vulnerable.
It is to reduce maternal mortality rate by 31% (from 576 to 400 per 100,000 live births), neo maternal rate by 33% (from 39 to 26 per 1,000 live births) with 50% of BHCPF.
The purpose of the BHCPF is to ensure the provision of basic health care package of health services to all Nigerians through National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS and state Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency KSCHMA.
Another purpose of the programme is “Strengthening the Primary Health Care (PHC) system through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) with 45% of BHCPF.
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