Author Archives: Admin

WHEN WORDS BECOME ARSON: HOW THREATS TO “GO TO ANY EXTENT” TO RECLAIM POWER IN KANO RISKS SETTING NORTHWEST ABLAZE

Politics is about ideas, not impunity. Law-breaking has no place in democracy. Words glorifying illegality sabotages democracy.

By Aminu Hussaini Sagagi

A single sentence, sharpened into a threat, can be the match that lights a tinderbox. That danger is not hypothetical in Kano. Recent public outbursts credited to Garba Kore – a well-known media influencer and a close associate of former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje – in which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is said to be willing to “go to any extent,” including breaking the law, to reclaim Kano from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have been widely reported and have predictably set off alarm bells across the state and beyond.
His comments were not idle words. Kano has been the epicentre of bitter partisan contestation since 2023, when the NNPP wrested the governorship from the then ruling APC after a combative and polarising campaign. The by-elections, defections and seat reclaims that followed – including the recent manipulated APC victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency – show how high the political temperature remains. When influential voices signal that legal limits can be discarded for political gain, they undermine the fragile rules that keep that heat from boiling over.

Why incendiary rhetoric matters? Experts have repeatedly warned that inflammatory political rhetoric heightens the risk of violence, especially in places where identity and political rivalry overlap. In fragile contexts, statement to “go to any extent, including breaking the law” are perceived as licences for extralegal action – from vote-rigging and intimidation to the mobilisation of thugs or deployment of complicit security agents – and can easily spiral into chaos.

The regional risk – The fallout will not stop in Kano. The Northwest is tightly interconnected by kinship, trade, and shared media networks; what happens in Kano echoes in Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, and beyond. A single violent episode could inflame old grievances and turn a political contest into a regional crisis. That is why, Garba Kore’s inflammatory words on taking over Kano State at all cost risk sparking Northwest Regional unrest.

Trust in democracy at stake – Democracy is not just about ballots; it rests on a shared belief in the rule of law. When politicians and their associates publicly boast about breaking laws to gain power, they corrode that belief. Citizens lose faith in elections and start to see force, not votes, as the path to justice. That is the death of democracy by a thousand reckless words.

A plea for anchor points – Responsible leadership demands restraint and accountability. Those who command influence, political operatives, party leaders, and media voices must retract, clarify, and apologise for inflammatory statements. If a remark was a careless exaggeration, withdraw it; if it was a genuine threat, law enforcement must step in. Security agencies must not remain silent. They must investigate, caution, and, where necessary, prosecute anyone inciting lawlessness or undermining public order. This is not about partisanship, it is about protecting the peace and upholding the Constitution.

Who pays the cost? — Ordinary Kano citizens do. Traders, farmers, students, and families will be the first to pay through lost livelihoods, fear and fractured communities. The short-term prize of “reclaiming power” cannot justify the long-term ruin of peace and trust.

The closing warning — Politics is a contest of ideas, not impunity. Parties have every right to campaign, contest and litigate – but none to declare law-breaking an option. In a nation still learning to walk the democratic path, words that glorify illegality are acts of sabotage against the people’s will.

Action now: Retract, reaffirm, and enforce. Political actors must withdraw reckless claims, party leaders must publicly reject calls for lawlessness, and law enforcement must take decisive, impartial action against anyone (including the privileged and protected rabble-rouser, Kore) whose words or actions endanger public peace. Institutions must stand firm. The alternative to this is grim – deepening distrust, recurring violence, and a democracy hollowed out from within.

Garba Kore’s unchecked threats on Kano State are capable of sparking instability in Northwest. His outbursts are like words on fire and the dangerous rhetorics risks inflaming regional instability.

This opinion piece was contributed by Barrister Aminu Hussaini Sagagi, Special Adviser to the Executive Governor of Kano State AKY, on Justice/Constitutional Matters.

NOISE VERSUS NATION-BUILDING: HOW THE OPPOSITION TRIES TO DISTRACT KANO

“The opposition in Kano are into excessive propaganda, pushing people into seeing shadows instead of substance, hearing noise instead of development. But the truth cannot be hidden. History will not remember the propaganda; it will remember the projects, the reforms, and the opportunities created under the administration of His Excellency, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.”

By Aminu Hussaini Sagagi

In Kano today, we are witnessing a familiar political drama. Whenever real progress is being made—whenever leaders roll up their sleeves to serve the people—there are always those who cannot stand to see it happen.

They resort to propaganda—loud, misleading, and divisive. Sadly, this has become the favoured tool of the opposition against the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf (AKY).
Instead of offering constructive criticism, they prefer to manufacture noise. They twist facts, amplify half-truths, and spread stories designed to inflame emotions.

Their aim is simple: to turn public attention away from the positive transformation taking place in Kano under AKY’s leadership. They want citizens distracted, confused, and doubtful—because that is the only way they can remain relevant.

But let us be honest: who truly benefits from propaganda? Certainly not the ordinary Kano indigenes trying to put food on the table, send children to school, or get medical care when sick.

Propaganda benefits only a small circle of political actors desperate to capture power, even if it costs tearing down the State’s image in the process.
Look around Kano, despite the noise, unprecedented number of projects are being executed. Take Rahma, a final-year student in one of our public secondary schools; she used to sit in overcrowded classrooms with leaking roofs, but today, after rehabilitation works by AKY’s government her school has standard furniture, a safer learning environment, and well-motivated teachers. For
Rahma, progress is not a rumor—it is a reality.
Or consider Musa and Emmanuel, traders in Sabon Gari market who remember how bad roads used to make transporting their merchandise a nightmare. Now, with new roads and drainages projects opening up their areas, their businesses are thriving. That is the kind of development propaganda cannot hide.
And what about Khadija, a mother of three who once feared going to public hospitals because they lacked basic facilities? Today, she walks into a revitalized healthcare center where she can get treatment without begging for help. For her, the difference is life-saving.
Yet, the opposition would rather distract you to forget these stories. They push you into seeing shadows instead of substance, hearing noise instead of development. But the truth cannot be hidden; a rehabilitated school speaks louder than a false headline; a functioning hospital is weightier than a fabricated rumor.

Kano people must not allow themselves to be used as pawns in a propaganda war.

No matter how loud the opposition shouts, the good people of Kano must stand firm and say loudly and unanimously – nay to distractions!

We must rise above the distractions and judge by results, not by rhetoric.
Leadership is about service, and service is exactly what AKY is delivering in Kano.

History will not remember the propaganda; it will remember the projects, the reforms, and the opportunities created under this administration.

That is why, no matter how loud the opposition shouts, the good people of Kano must stand firm and say loudly and unanimously – nay to distractions!

Kano’s future is too important to be toyed with. The focus should remain on progress, and progress is exactly what Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is bringing to the State.

This opinion piece is contributed by Barr. Aminu Hussaini Sagagi, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Kano State on Justice/Constitutional Matters