The Kano State Governor-elect, Abba Yusuf, has issued a warning to all lenders, domestic or international, not to grant any loan facility to the incumbent government, led by the Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, without his knowledge or expressed consent.
In an apparent power tussle between Ganduje and Yusuf, the latter issued this statement on Friday via his Chief Press Secretary, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, in a Public Advisory to all subsisting and prospective lenders to the Kano state government.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that, Yusuf, had on Thursday, also directed a Public Advisory to all individuals, groups and organisations to stop ongoing construction in public places immediately.
The statement read in part, “Any such loan facility approved and issued to the Kano State Government between the date of election and the date of swearing-in without the explicit knowledge and consent of the incoming administration will not be honoured by the new administration.
“All subsisting lenders to the Kano State Government shall take notice that all terms and conditions for all existing loan facilities shall be renegotiated by the new administration guided by the utilisation audit/review of each loan facility.”
However, the Kano state government, in response, issued a statement by the Kano Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, maintaining that Ganduje will continue to exercise complete authority over all issues in the state until May 29, when the Yusuf will assume office.
The statement read, “Until he (Yusuf) subscribes to the oath of office as governor on May 29, he remains what he is – a governor-elect and does not have the powers of the governor.
“All he can do is to reverse some of the actions taken by his predecessor when he assumes office, if there is a valid reason to do so.
“No governor-elect has the constitutional or legal powers to determine the direction of a state until he is sworn-in.”
The Kano Government therefore advised Yusuf to stop issuing official pronouncements in form of public advisory in order not to cause unnecessary confusion in the state.