The Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has gone on record
to suggest that underage voters were used to rig the 2015 general
elections.
Kwankwaso, who was speaking in an interview with Channels Television, said, “Some people have said that the North was engaged in the promotion of Almajiris, and now we have used the Almajiri population to kick them out.”
Perhaps responding to a statement the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan allegedly made during a campaign rally with Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, women in the South-South, the governor made it clear that the Almajiris (Disciples) played a key role in the emergence of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate Muhammadu Buhari as President-Elect.
The statement on its own may seem harmless, but following numerous reports of underage voting in the North, and no apparent response from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, some have wondered aloud if these underage voters were specifically put into play to vote in Buhari and other APC candidates.
President Goodluck Jonathan was the first and only Nigerian President to recognize and cater for the teeming number of Almajiris in the North. He built over 150 Almajiri schools, and sponsored a back to school campaign in the region. No President or even Governor from the region made it a matter of policy to cater for the Almajiri like he did.
Impressed with President Jonathan’s efforts, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’adu Abubakar, back then stated, “The way the Almajiri model school project was conceived and executed by the present administration, provides succour and relief to millions who had been left out of the conventional school system.
“In 2013, 125 Almajiri schools were built for removing these stranded kids from streets to classrooms.”
With the Kano Governor’s remarks, it is puzzling to seem to gloat over the use of these same beneficiaries of the Jonathan administration’s focus on educational development in the region as tools to kick out that same administration.
The Kano State Governor touched on other issues including the performance of his administration as well as religious and ethnic polarization in Nigerian politics.
Appraising his administration, Kwankwaso said he believed it was a success, especially his second term as he had learnt from the first time around.
Kwankwaso, who was speaking in an interview with Channels Television, said, “Some people have said that the North was engaged in the promotion of Almajiris, and now we have used the Almajiri population to kick them out.”
Perhaps responding to a statement the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan allegedly made during a campaign rally with Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, women in the South-South, the governor made it clear that the Almajiris (Disciples) played a key role in the emergence of the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate Muhammadu Buhari as President-Elect.
The statement on its own may seem harmless, but following numerous reports of underage voting in the North, and no apparent response from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, some have wondered aloud if these underage voters were specifically put into play to vote in Buhari and other APC candidates.
President Goodluck Jonathan was the first and only Nigerian President to recognize and cater for the teeming number of Almajiris in the North. He built over 150 Almajiri schools, and sponsored a back to school campaign in the region. No President or even Governor from the region made it a matter of policy to cater for the Almajiri like he did.
Impressed with President Jonathan’s efforts, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’adu Abubakar, back then stated, “The way the Almajiri model school project was conceived and executed by the present administration, provides succour and relief to millions who had been left out of the conventional school system.
“In 2013, 125 Almajiri schools were built for removing these stranded kids from streets to classrooms.”
With the Kano Governor’s remarks, it is puzzling to seem to gloat over the use of these same beneficiaries of the Jonathan administration’s focus on educational development in the region as tools to kick out that same administration.
The Kano State Governor touched on other issues including the performance of his administration as well as religious and ethnic polarization in Nigerian politics.
Appraising his administration, Kwankwaso said he believed it was a success, especially his second term as he had learnt from the first time around.
“I was in Kano for four years before,
and then I left for 8 years. I took all the time to look back at my
weaknesses. When I got back, I made sure areas of weaknesses improved; I
started working round the clock. Today, I am more popular in Kano than
before,” he said.
Kwankwaso praised Jonathan, admitting that Jonathan’s concession call to Buhari was the reason for peace.
“Jonathan conceding to Buhari has gone a long way to maintain peace in the country,” he said.
“Those who use religion and ethnicity
in politics should not be in politics. We protect our Christian
brothers and sisters in Kano.”
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