As Kano State moves toward 2027, the political lines are already drawn. The contest is shaping up between His Excellency, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf and his former deputy, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, who resigned and is now the NDC governorship candidate. Kano people are watching closely, and they are asking one simple question: who has the character, the record, and the loyalty to lead?
Gov. Abba came into office in 2023 on the mandate of the NNPP. The promise to Kano people was clear, fix education, improve healthcare, empower the youth, and deliver governance that works for the poor. Comrade Gwarzo was part of that ticket. He campaigned on it, swore an oath to it, and spent two years as Deputy Governor under it. To abandon that government midway and run under a different party is not principle. It is opportunism. It is quite unfortunate, and it amounts to a total betrayal of the trust that brought both to power.
What followed has been even more revealing. The former deputy governor’s verbal attack on Gov. Abba is uncalled for. It is very wrong to use negative words against the government he was second in command. A man who sat in EXCO, took part in government decisions, and enjoyed the benefits of that office should not be the one leading a campaign of insults against it. Comrade Gwarzo should know that he who lives in a glass house should not throw stone. You cannot be part of a government for two years and then pretend you had no hand in its actions, only to turn around and attack it for political gain. That is hypocrisy, and Kano people see it.
The contrast could not be clearer. They are not on the same page with Gov. Abba. One chose to stay and deliver. The other chose to leave and fight. You cannot walk away from a government and then present yourself as its better alternative. Comrade Abdulsalam is not an alternative to Gov. Abba. He represents political instability, a man who could not endure two years in one administration yet now asks Kano people to trust him with four years as governor.
Gov. Abba has earned the trust of the people. He has walked his talk and pushed the state into greater development. While others are busy with press releases, the governor has been busy renovating schools, restoring scholarships, upgrading hospitals, and creating opportunities for youth. That is why the support base keeps expanding across the state.
Even with provocations, His Excellency, Gov. Abba has remained focused. If the current government results in probing the former office, the revelations that will be unearthed will be damaging. Yet instead of joining the noise, H.E Abba remains calm and saddled with the activities he was elected to serve. That is what leadership looks like.
Come 2027, Kano people will speak with their votes. Gov. Abba is going to be victorious, including defeating Gwarzo in his own polling unit and local government. That result will send a clear message. Kano rewards loyalty, hard work, and humility, and rejects betrayal, arrogance, and desperation.
This election will be about continuity versus disruption, service versus self interest, and delivery versus distraction. Kano cannot afford to hand the state to someone who abandoned his duty, attacked the government he served, and now wants to be rewarded with a higher office.
Comrade Gwarzo has the right to contest. But Kano people have the right to remember. They will remember who stayed to protect the mandate and who threw it away. They will remember who built and who broke.
For now the record is plain. They are not on the same page with Gov. Abba. The attacks are uncalled for. The resignation was a betrayal. And therefore, Comrade Abdulsalam Gwarzo is not an alternative to Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf. Let Governor Abba work, and let 2027 decide.
