Governor Kabir

By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano

Alhaji Shehu Wada Shagagi, Chief of Staff to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano state, has denied diverting federal government palliatives, as alleged by the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state.

He described the allegation as, “misleading and politically motivated.”

The chairman of Kano state APC, Prince Abbas Abdullahi, had accused Shagagi of diverting federal government bags of rice palliatives for his personal use.

Shehu Wada Shagagi, Chief of Staff to Governor Yusuf.jpg

But in a tacit statement he signed and made available to journalists in Kano on Wednesday, Shagagi denied the allegation, describing it as “baseless.”

According to him, “the antics deployed by the opposition party in the state was a “desperate attempt to tarnish my  image in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians, and a calculated attempt to discredit the NNPP government’s efforts in supporting the people of Kano state.”

The Statement further stated that:  “the  APC’s claims of palliative diversion and rebranding level against my personality are unfounded and lack concrete evidence. Such frivolous rantings are mere allegations designed to score cheap political stunts.

“Let it be on record that my office has never been involved in palliatives distribution and no one has ever allocated the palliatives to me for onward distribution to state, local governments or ward level.

“The NNPP government has been transparent in its distribution of palliatives to the masses, with clear records of beneficiaries and distribution channels, therefore there is no truth to the APC’s claims of diversion or rebranding.”

Shagagi insisted that “the  APC accusations are simply politically inclined, tinted to distracting the public from their failures while they had eight years tenure in governance, only to shift attention towards the NNPP administration’s successes in less than one year in office.

“The APC’s claims of palliative diversion are also contradictory, as they have previously praised the NNPP government’s efforts in supporting the people of Kano state.

“The NNPP government has made significant strides in supporting the people of Kano state, from food distribution to infrastructure development. We, therefore, viewed the recent media onslaught as an orchestrated attempt to undermine these achievements.

“Our actions are guided by the principles of transparency and accountability, and we challenge the APC to provide proof of their allegations or retract their statement.

” The Abbas-led APC’s stock in trade is diversionary, designed to set the people of Kano who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the palliatives against the government with the ultimate target to create unnecessary tension and confusion.

“No doubt, our government remains committed to the welfare of the people of Kano state, and we will not be deterred by the APC’s baseless accusations. They will not succeed. We will continue to work tirelessly to support our citizens.

“Kano state government would not be surprised over the frustration of the APC Chairman to resort to blackmailing and attempting to misrepresent facts in other to score cheap publicity.

“We are not unaware that APC is still suffering from the hangover of the 2023 governorship election in Kano where NNPP defeated them woefully. Again, the perpetual loss at the Supreme Court was another nightmare.

“Instead of the APC  leadership to rethink their misfortunes at the poll, and perhaps seek forgiveness from the good people of Kano for their reckless administration and large-scale misappropriation of public funds, they resort to chasing shadows, picking every slight opportunity to bark over the media with empty vessels.

“APC would remain saddened that our government under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf exposed the massive fraud and fraudulent deduction of workers’ salary, a heinous act perpetrated by the immediate past administration.

“Today, workers under Kano state Civil Service are pleased to receive 100 per cent of their salary. Isn’t that enough shame for APC? Of what moral justification did the APC-led government have to accuse NNPP of corruption when their ground-scale corrupt cases were already pending before the court?

“I am certain APC would not be happy also over the state of emergency declared by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf on education having inherited a near collapse system. APC should have buried its head in shame for bastardising the education system in Kano after siphoning capital allocation meant for the sector.

” I will urge the public to ignore their desperate attempts to discredit the NNPP government and focus on the facts.”