“I’m Aiming for Kano Governorship, Not APC Chairmanship” – Abbas Replies Minister Ata

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Abdullahi Abbas, has stated that his ambition is to become the Governor of Kano, not to remain the APC Chairman in the state.

Abdullahi Abbas revealed this to the BBC Hausa while responding to comments made by Nigeria’s Minister of Housing, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, who recently threatened to leave the party.

The Minister had threatened to quit the APC if Abdullahi Abbas was re-elected as the Kano APC Chairman for a fourth term.

Currently, the Minister’s strong remarks in a viral video have flooded social media platforms, further stirring political tensions in Kano State.

However, APC Chairman Abdullahi Abbas told the BBC Hausa that Yusuf Ata “is not a member of the party,” expressing surprise over how he was appointed as a minister.

“In our view, he is not a party member. In fact, during the last elections in his local government, we came third,” Abbas said.

“We don’t even know how he was given the ministerial position, and we informed the President that he is not from our party; he worked against us,” Abbas added.

Hon. Abbas expressed shock over the President’s decision to appoint Ata as a minister.

“We are honestly surprised by this decision. He is just a local government politician,” he said.

A viral video circulating on social media shows Housing Minister Yusuf Abdullahi Ata addressing his supporters, where he threatened to leave the APC in Kano along with his followers if the party leadership in the state wasn’t changed.

The Minister blamed the party’s loss in the 2023 elections on statements made by the party chairman, as he explained during a stakeholders’ meeting in his Fage Local Government Area in Kano State.

Ata stated, “We are telling everyone that if they bring back people like him, people like us will leave.”

He further added, “We have been trained; we know who a true leader is. Therefore, we will not compromise. If they bring him back, we will leave, and I swear by God, the party will lose elections again,” he warned.

“There must be change, and they must find respectable and upright people who align with us and genuinely want to work with us,” Ata concluded.