As the newly appointed minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, had said that his mission is to deliver Kano state to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, the pro-democracy advocates: HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked the President to dismiss him from the federal ministry of Housing as minister of State and then reassign him to the National Secretariat or the ward office in Kano of the All Progressives Congress to oversee strategic campaign of the party in Kano state.
HURIWA disclosed that the revelation that winning Kano state is his major task as minister just as the minister of state for Housing Alhaji Ata made it known shortly after his maiden visit to Kano after being sworn into the Federal Executive Council, it would amount to abuse of power and a serious case of political corruption if the president actually intended to use the ministerial appointment as a decoy for planting a Kano state campaign strategist and a surrogate of his political party: All Progressives Congress.
HURIWA recalled that whilst speaking to journalists, the minister of State for Housing had said, “My appointment was mainly for political reason, APC has lost Kano state and now it will take Kano state. The main problem is the Kano Central and I am from there.
“Even as a minister I will continue to sit in this Ward, we are going to work very hard to see that APC gains control of Kano State by 2027.
“My mission like I said is purely political, even that I am posted to the ministry of housing and urban development, I will do my work but I will be coming to Kano state every week so as to work towards gaining control of the state.”
Ata appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment, adding that… come 2027, Kano is going to be for APC.
“This is my assurance given to the President,” he said.
But in a media statement made available and endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA stated that the action of appointing a federal cabinet minister who would spend publicly appropriated funds to basically funnel such towards the planning of strategies to regain political control of Kano State in 2027, amounted to a direct violation of section 15(5) of the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended which provides thus: “THE STATE SHALL ABOLISH ALL CORRUPT PRACTICES AND ABUSE OF POWER.”
“HURIWA is hereby appealing to the President His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to immediately remove this minister of State for Housing who has made it abundantly clear that his fundamental and primary task as a federal cabinet minister is to ensure that Kano state which the All Progressives Congress lost to the New Nigeria Political Party (NNPP) in the 2023 poll is recaptured in the year 2027 poll.
“This minister of state for Housing will definitely not work for public good, national interest but he has already made it known publicly that he is in that publicly funded office to advance the interest of his political party the All Progressives Congress. We are saying that this is not just a political corruption but if allowed to continue could amount to economic sabotage because since he as a minister wouldn’t focus on delivering the mandate of the Ministry for all of Nigeria, why use public money to work for APC?.
“The best thing that should happen to protect the integrity of the current Federal Executive Council is for another Nigerian who is suitable, competent and patriotic enough to work to advance the HOUSING RIGHTS of Nigerians to be appointed as the minister of state for Housing. This man who wants to win Kano state for APC must never be allowed to use public office and resources to advance a narrow political goal of APC.” HURIWA concludes.
*Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). November 11th 2024.