KANO STATE AND THE VERDICT OF HISTORY

BEING A TEXT OF ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY ALH.

ABBA KABIR YUSUF THE GOVERNOR OF KANO STATE
AFTER THE JUDGMENT OF SUPREME COURT ON THE
GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION DELIVERED ON FRIDAY 12TH
JANUARY, 2024

A’uzu Billahi Minash shaydanur rajeem,

Bismillahir Rahmanur Raheem,
Was Salatu was Salamu ala Nabiyul Kareem

All praises and gratitude are due to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, The
Sovereign Lord of Power (and Rule), Who gives power to whom He
pleases. May the peace and countless blessings of Allah be upon our
Noble Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah, his families, and all his
Companions.

My fellow citizens of Kano State and Nigeria across the Globe, today,
rriday 12th January, 2024 is a special day in the history of democracy and
in the history of election litigation in our dear state. Today, by the Grace
of Allah (SWT), the Supreme Court have concluded its proceedings and
issued its judgment on the Kano State Governorship Election petition.
The verdict of the Supreme Court is in total agreement with the clear
aspirations of the good people of Kano State. The Apex Court has further
confirmed the overwhelming mandate given to us in the March 2023
general elections. Today therefore, is a day of Hamdala and Shukrah.

We thank Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala for the victory He granted us at the

Supreme Court. We thank the Hon Justices of the Supreme Court for their
dispassionate administration and delivery of justice and for issuing a
judgment that is just, fair, impartial and objective. We thank all the
Judicial officers that took part in making the work of the Supreme Court
hitch-free and pleasant.

As I speak to you on this historic day, I am beset by multiple emotions:

the emotion of gratitude, the emotion of humility, the emotion of joy, and
of course the emotion of a reinvigorated commitment to making Kano
State the best state in our country.

We thank the good people of Kano State who continue to cooperate with
the government and who continue to offer prayers for our victory and for
the peace and security of our state. I want to call on all the good people
of our dear state to continue to beseech Almighty Allah for His
continuous blessings on our State and the Country at large. I want to place
on record, our debt of gratitude to the leadership and all the members of
the NNPP family in Kano state and across the country, who have been
spending sleepless nights of prayers for the victory of our party.
AlhamdulilLah, Allah SWT has answered our invocations.

Let me also register our immeasurable gratitude to our team of lawyers,

under the leadership of Chiefs Wale Olanipekun SAN, Asiwaju Gboyega
Awomolo, SAN, & their team members and of course the INEC lawyer;
AB Mahmud, SAN, who have been running from pillar to post all in their
effort to leave no stone unturned in countering every claim of the
respondents and convincing the Hon Justices that we have won our
election fair and square. I also want to thank numerous well-wishers from
across the country and beyond, who have written, called, or sent
emissaries to show solidarity and support for our just cause of defending
the overwhelming mandate entrusted to us by the good people of Kano
State.

Fellow Citizens, May I at this point express my appreciation to the

National Leader of our Party, His Excellency Sen. Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso for his continuous counsel and guidance since our
assumption to Office. I also want to thank, most respectfully, our Elder
Statesmen and women across the country that contributed in no small way
to our cause.

I want to register our special appreciation to the entire religious leaders,

traditional rulers, business community, youths’ groups, students, market
women and men, etc for their support and cooperation during our trying
times. I also wish to express our profound appreciation to the
international community, entire league of development partners working
in Kano state for their faith in us and especially for the support to our
administration.

At this juncture, let me specially register my sincere appreciation and that

of the entire good people of Kano state to His Excellency President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR (JAGABAN) and His Excellency Vice President
Kashim Shettima GCON for their statesmanship, leadership, and their
respect for democracy. Their refusal to interfere with the proceedings of
the Supreme Court in spite of huge and persistent pressure from vested
interest is a testimony to their respect for the core principles of democracy
and the rule of law – allowing the votes of the people to count and
respecting the independence of the Judiciary. It is our fervent prayer that
Almighty Allah will continue to support our leaders to remain fair, just
and compassionate. I pray to Allah SWT to continue to guide them as
they steer the ship of our nation into peace, security, and prosperity for us
here in Kano, I want to assure them of our maximum Cop-operation and
loyalty as leaders of the nation.

While appreciating this objective judgment by the Supreme Court, while

calling on all residents of our dear state to celebrate this victory with
prayers to Allah (SWT) for our Unity, Peace and Prosperity , I wish to
call on the respondents especially their candidate H. E Nasiru Yusuf
Gawuna to accept the verdict of the people and join hands with us to
continue the all-important work of making our state great again. I am
extending my invitation and hands of friendship to the APC candidate to
work with my administration to create a new and better Kano State where
enduring peace is guaranteed, where businesses blossom and flourish,
where prosperity is assured, where quality education is being delivered to
all, where healthcare and human services are qualitative and accessible,
where agriculture and agribusinesses are promoted to the level of major
income contributors, where our cherished values and cultural heritage are
restored and honoured, where vandalism and political thuggery have
become history and where choice opportunities for our youth are readily
available.

Fellow Compatriots of Kano State, in the last seven months since our
Inauguration on May 29, we are able to record tremendous amount of
successes in spite of all the distractions associated with the Governorship
election petition at the Tribunal, Appeal and of course at the Supreme
court that was Allowed and Affirmed our victory today. We are able to
start fulfilling many of our campaign promises like foreign scholarship,
mass wedding (Auren Gata), free paediatric care, free maternity care etc.
We are able to resume many projects that were abandoned by the previous
administration like the 5km roads in 44 local governments, 44 schools of
Islamic studies, 44 technical colleges, etc. We are able to complete new
projects such as the restoration of Hasiya Bayero Paediatric hospital,
renovation of schools and hospitals, construction of new girl’s secondary
schools, renovation of major and minor roads, and restoration of street
lights across the metropolis. We have commenced the construction of 2no
Mega flyovers within metropolitan Kano as well as the construction of
underpass at Tal’udu junction and Kofar Dan agundi. We have also spent
over 900m Naira to support over 75,000 adolescent girls with stipend of
20,000 Naira each, we spent over 700m Naira to pay the registration fees
of Kano state students in BUK that were not able to register last year, we
have paid the backlog of tuition fees for Kano State sponsored students
in private universities that were abandoned for eight years, we spent over
1.3bn Naira to register Kano State students for last year’s NECO and
NBAIS examinations, we have spent close to 4bn Naira to procure grains
which was distributed free to very low income earning families including
people living with Disabilities as well as Orphans and widows as part of
the palliative measures to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal,
among others.
Today, as we celebrate the restoration and re-affirmation of people’s
mandate through the Judgment of the Supreme Court, let me re-
emphasize that we shall continue to operate an open and inclusive
government that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of our
diverse communities. We shall continue to strive to improve the general
living condition of the people through relevant socio-economic policies
and programs as we have amply demonstrated. We shall continue to place
very high premium on improving the condition of our teeming youth and
women. We have already started a series of empowerment programs for
women, youth, and persons with special needs. We have also made
payments of retirement benefits, gratuities, and death benefits of 6Billion
Naira to over five thousand (5,000) pensioners and bereaved families who
have been waiting for almost a decade to be paid.

We cherish and value our elders and statemen. Our State is blessed by
Allah SWT with many elders and former leaders who have reached the
peak of their careers and who are still active and healthy. These Elders
are a big reservoir of knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Our
administration will therefore work deliberately to harness this God-given
treasure to our State for the overall benefit of our people. Consequently,
I wish to announce the formation of the Kano Elders Council which
would serve as an Advisory Body to the government of Kano State. This
Elders Council shall comprise of all former Governors, former Deputy
Governors, former Senate Presidents, former Speakers of House of
Representatives, former Speakers of the State House of Assembly, former
deputy speakers, retired Supreme Court justices, retired Appeal Court
justices, former Chief Justices of the state, former Secretaries to the State
Government, former Heads of State Civil Service, who are indigens of
the state, leadership of the Ulamas, leadership of the Business
Community, leadership of the traditional rulers, former heads of security
agencies from Kano State and such other elders to be identified and
appointed by government into the Council. We would announce in due
cause the date of the Inauguration of this Council.

My dear good people of Kano State, now that the yoke of litigation is
removed from our necks, we will concentrate all our attention, energies
and time in rolling out more projects and programs towards creating more
prosperity and more happiness in our State.

Before I end this brief State Broadcast, let me seize this opportunity to
call on the supporters of all political parties in our State and indeed all
residents of Kano to live peacefully and promote peaceful coexistence in
all our communities. Politicians, Ulamas, Traditional Rulers and their
supporters and loyalists alike must eschew inflammatory and unguarded
utterances that are capable of stirring avoidable controversies. Kano State
is the only State that we call our home, we must come together to ensure
its peace, security and prosperity at all times. We must not allow transient
sentiments of some selfish individuals to tear our state apart.

In conclusion, I would like to express my deep appreciation to all the law

enforcement agencies in the state as well as all members of the press for
their immeasurable contributions to peace and stability of our dear state I
also want to once more thank the good people of Kano state and indeed
other Nigerians and well-wishers across the globe for the continuous
support, co-operation, understanding and prayers that are extending to
this administration. I want to appeal to you to continue praying for, and
supporting the, administration that you have put in place. Together, we
shall, by the Special Grace of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, make our State
one of, if not the best in the country.

Thank you very much.

Alhamdulillah.

Long Live Kano State.

Long Live Federal Republic Nigeria.