Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano State, accused the federal government of violating constitutional democracy by keeping the state out of the recent distribution of rice palliatives to 36 other federated states. In the general elections of 2023, Kwankaso, the NNPP presidential candidate, expressed dissatisfaction that Kano’s portion was instead “handed over to members of the All Progressives Congress” and urged President Bola Tinubu to step in and put an end to what he called “a blatant act of partisanship.” On Monday, he used the @KwankwasoRM account to post on the X platform, making this declaration.
“I have been in Kano for the past week, and I must say that I am extremely disappointed in the federal government’s distribution of rice palliatives to 35 states through their governors, with the exception of Kano State in the entire federation,” Kwankaso stated. In reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State said that while the federal government was devoted to lessening suffering in the nation, the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) administration in Kano was impeding their efforts. This was stated in a statement released by the party’s chairwoman, Abdullahi Abbas.
According to Mr. Abbas, those tasked with distributing the palliative measures in Kano were purportedly misusing the funds, despite President Bola Tinubu having approved a number of them for low-income homes and vulnerable individuals. Senior NNPP government officials were allegedly involved in the diversion, according to the APC chairperson. The head of the APC urged Kwankwaso to give his “anointed” governor, Abba Yusuf, orders to look into such instances and make sure that those responsible for the missing palliatives are held accountable and prosecuted. Additionally, he charged Kwankwaso with lying when he claimed that the APC was the only party left in charge of the distribution process.