By Comfort Olayinka
Senator Rufa’i Hanga, the Senate Minority Whip, has expressed confidence in the New Nigerian Peoples Party’s (NNPP) dominance in Kano State politics.
This comes after a Federal High Court ruling disqualified Prof. Sani Malumfashi, chairman of the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission, and five other members just four days before local government elections.
The court’s decision was prompted by allegations that Malumfashi and commission members were card-carrying members of the NNPP. Senator Hanga questioned the ruling’s rationality, stating that even if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) takes over, the NNPP’s strong grassroots presence ensures victory.
Hanga attributed the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) efforts to disrupt the election process to fear of NNPP’s potential wins.
He highlighted the APC’s control in states like Benue and Kogi, querying why Kano State and NNPP were targeted.“See Benue, Kogi and so many other states, so why Kano State, why NNPP,” he queried.
The senator also addressed allegations of drug possession, clarifying that a security guard, not the alleged Senator was caught with marijuana. He condemned the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) unsubstantiated accusations against the senator.
“I am very surprised that a government agency like NDLEA can just wake up and accuse a senator, not just a senator but a ranking one in that matter without evidence. In fact, the distinguished confided in us that it was one of his security guards in one of his houses that was caught with Indian herm, not that it was found in his house,” he said.
This development unfolds amidst tensions surrounding Kano’s local government elections, underscoring Nigeria’s complex political landscape.
