- Kano Information Commissioner Ibrahim Waiya urged Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo to resign due to political misalignment with Governor Abba Yusuf
- Waiya said trust and loyalty are essential in governance, arguing that a deputy no longer aligned should not attend executive council meetings
- The defection followed Governor Yusuf’s switch from NNPP to APC, prompting several lawmakers and councillors to realign with the ruling party
The Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, has called on Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo to resign following his refusal to defect alongside Governor Abba Yusuf to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to journalists in Kano on Thursday, Waiya emphasised that effective governance relies on trust, loyalty and confidence among members of the executive council. He argued that a deputy governor who no longer shares the governor's political alignment should not continue to participate in key government meetings.
“This is his personal decision, but there is no way someone who is no longer with you should be part of the routine council meeting,” Waiya said. “Who knows with whom he might share important government secrets? In government, things are done based on trust, and you can’t trust someone who is not with you.”
He added that resignation would be the most honourable course of action. “If I were him, I would humbly resign,” the commissioner stated.
The remarks come amid ongoing political realignments in Kano State following Governor Yusuf’s defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the APC. Waiya described the governor’s move as beneficial to the state, noting that alignment with the federal government would enhance access to development projects and federal interventions.
Governor Yusuf, who won the 2023 governorship election on the NNPP platform, cited the need to deepen cooperation with the federal government and attract more development projects to Kano as reasons for his defection. Several members of the state political structure, including members of the House of Assembly, federal lawmakers, local government chairpersons and councillors, also switched allegiance to the APC, significantly weakening the NNPP’s influence in the state.