By Kolawole Ojebisi
The immediate past Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo, has revealed that he expected President Bola Tinubu to replace him with the 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Kano State, Nasiru Gawuna.
He noted that his expectation was informed by the patterns followed by Tinubu in both Zamfara and Plateau states, respectively. In those states, the party’s candidates who contested but failed to realize their dreams of becoming governors were appointed as ministers.
Gwarzo stressed that his disengagement by Tinubu was politically motivated adding that his performance was not particularly underwhelming
He added that being a minister of state made his office subsumed under the senior minister’s. The ex-minister revealed this in a an interview with BBC Hausa on Sunday, November 10, 2024,
“I was surprised because I wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance. And I was minister of state, with the senior minister overseeing a large portion of the ministry’s activities.
“Before the announcement, the President had informed me of his decision. He said Kano North was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to strike a balance. We gave our advice, but it was ignored. From there, I began to suspect that certain individuals were behind this because, to me, that wasn’t a valid reason.”
The former minister remarked that Gawuna, as the party’s leader in Kano Central, should have been considered for the ministerial position.
“If the ministerial slot is indeed meant for Kano Central, we have our 2023 governorship candidate, who is also our leader in Kano Central. Why not consider giving him the position?
“Gawuna should be offered the role first, unless he declines, in which case it could be given to someone else.
“All other candidates from Plateau and Zamfara states who contested for the governorships were appointed to positions,” Gwarzo added.
Recall that in a State House release on October 23, 2024, Tinubu disengaged Gwarzo along with four others, including the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Kennedy Ohanenye; Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John; Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman; and the Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim.
Gwarzo was immediately replaced by Yusuf Ata who is also from Kano state.
