By Muazu Elazeh

When Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, popularly known as Abba Gida Gida, abolished an entire ministry in a move widely perceived as aimed at stripping his estranged deputy, Aminu Abdulsalam Gwarzo, of oversight responsibilities, he was writing part of his history.

Governor Gida Gida will be remembered as the governor who, in a bid to get back at his deputy, abolished the Ministry of Higher Education, which had been established to improve post-secondary education in the state.

In an official statement, the governor’s media aide described the action as a “restructuring” intended to strengthen coordination and accelerate reforms in Kano State’s education sector.

“Following the restructuring, the new entity will operate as the Ministry of Education, with a specialised Directorate of Higher Education established within the ministry to oversee tertiary education activities.

“Under this restructuring, all agencies under the defunct Higher Education Ministry, such as the Scholarship Board, will return to the Ministry of Education. Additionally, state-owned universities and other higher education institutions will now be supervised by the new directorate within the merged ministry,” the statement added.

However, to many who understand the current political undercurrents in Kano, this explanation sounds unconvincing. The prevailing view, and perhaps rightly so, is that the move was primarily aimed at removing Deputy Governor Gwarzo’s oversight role, ostensibly to punish him for refusing to defect to the ruling APC alongside the governor.

At its core, the decision to abolish the Ministry of Higher Education, regardless of the official justification, appears designed to weaken the influence of Deputy Governor Gwarzo.

In Kano State, the deputy governor traditionally acts as a commissioner and is assigned responsibility for a ministry, a practice in place since 1999. When Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso became governor in 1999, with Umar Ganduje as his deputy, Ganduje was appointed to oversee the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He held the same position when they returned to power in 2011.

Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, who interrupted Kwankwaso’s comeback bid and served for eight years with two deputies, Magaji Abdullahi and Tijjani Gwarzo, also maintained this approach. Both deputies managed the Ministry of Water Resources during their tenure.

Similarly, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who succeeded Kwankwaso, upheld this tradition. His deputy during his first term, Professor Hafiz Abubakar (May 2015 to August 2018), oversaw the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation until his resignation.

Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, who succeeded Prof. Abubakar and served as deputy governor from September 2018 to May 2023, followed the same pattern, overseeing the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Clearly, assigning a ministry to the deputy governor has long served as a practical means of ensuring relevance and active participation in governance, preventing the office from being reduced to the proverbial spare tyre.

However, it cast a spell over even the ordinary man that Governor Abba Gida Gida now appears determined to dismantle this convention. Discerning individuals believe strongly that he took the decision largely because Gwarzo refused to defect to the ruling APC. His scrapping of an entire ministry is remarkable, as is his record as the first Kano State governor to defect to a ruling party.

In the Second Republic, neither Abubakar Rimi nor Sabo Bakin Zuwo—both of blessed memory- defected to the ruling party. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, Governor Abba has remained the only Kano State governor to have switched allegiance to a ruling party.

Now, he seems poised to set yet another precedent by removing his deputy’s oversight powers, a long-standing tradition passed down from previous administrations. Indeed, he will be remembered for these unpopular achievements.

More than anything, Governor Abba’s pyrrhic victory highlights the need to reevaluate the constitutional roles of deputy governors. Recent developments, including the Kano State Assembly’s efforts to impeach Gwarzo, who has insisted on remaining with the NNPP rather than defecting to the APC, reinforce this view.

What is happening in Kano is not an isolated incident. There is a growing pattern suggesting that deputy governors are often treated as expendable actors in a broader political game. Across the country, numerous cases exist where deputy governors have clashed with their principals and faced intense political pressure. A recent example occurred in Edo State, involving former Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu.

Even before the Edo episode, similar tensions had emerged since Nigeria’s transition to democracy in 1999. During his tenure as governor of Lagos State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had a strained relationship with his deputy, Senator Koforowola Akerele-Bucknor, which eventually led to her resignation in 2002 amid looming impeachment threats.

One also recalls the rift between former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and his deputy, Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, in Sokoto, as well as the fallout between Governor Rochas Okorocha and his deputy, Eze Madumere, in Imo. In fact, Madumere was impeached, though his controversial removal was later overturned by the court.

Kogi State witnessed a similar episode when former Governor Yahaya Bello fell out with his deputy, Simon Achuba, who was impeached, only for the courts to later nullify the action. The list goes on. More often than not, the relationship between a governor and a deputy is characterised by distrust and mutual suspicion.

What is unfolding in Kano reflects Governor Abba’s apparent struggle to accept his deputy’s refusal to join him in the APC. There appears to be a deliberate effort to marginalise Gwarzo.

Although the law provides for a joint ticket, the reality is often quite different. The relationship is frequently undermined by limited delegation of authority and an almost complete absence of power-sharing, leaving many deputy governors sidelined.

While the Constitution grants significant authority to governors, it does not clearly define the deputy governor’s role. This imbalance leaves deputies vulnerable, particularly during political disagreements, where they are often subjected to humiliation.

There is little doubt that some governors exploit the wide discretionary powers available to them. This underscores the urgent need for constitutional reform, specifically, to clarify and strengthen the role of deputy governors beyond the provisions of Sections 191(1) and 193(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Section 191(1) provides, among other things, that “the Deputy Governor of a State shall hold the office of Governor if the office becomes vacant due to death, resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity, or removal in accordance with Sections 188 or 189.” Meanwhile, Section 193(1) states that “the Governor may, at his discretion, assign responsibilities to the Deputy Governor or any Commissioner, including oversight of any government department.”

There is a need to reconsider the Constitution’s discretionary powers granted to governors regarding their deputies. These powers are increasingly being misused. It occurred in the instances mentioned earlier. It is happening now in Kano. No one can predict where it will happen next. But one thing is certain: it will happen again and again.

In Kano, Gwarzo’s offence is his unwavering loyalty to the party that brought his principal, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and himself to power. In a country where more than five governors elected under the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and numerous members of the national assembly have abandoned their political parties for the ruling APC, Gwarzo, by insisting on remaining with NNPP rather than joining Governor Abba in the APC, has committed a serious offence.

I have no doubt in my mind that whether Gwarzo emerges from the attempt to impeach him unscathed or is eventually consumed by it, history will remember him kindly.

— Muazu Elazeh is the GMD of LEADERSHIP Newspaper. He can be reached via: 08022029766