Abdullahi Ganduje, Governor of Kano State, seeking reelection on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Mohammed Abacha, governorship candidate of the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA), were absent at the governorship debate held on Saturday in the state.
The debate was organised by the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training Mambayya, in collaboration with 10 other civil society organisations.
Ganduje didn’t attend or send a representative. He also didn’t send apologies for his absence. Ganduje, who was in attendance at the signing of the 2019 Peace Accord, held at Bayero University Kano, was expected to attend the debate.
However, Abba Yusuf, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and son-in-law to Rabiu Kwankwaso, Salihu Takai of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Nasir Mukhtar of the Legacy Party of Nigeria (LPN) attended the debate.
Yusuf said his party would promote politics without bitterness, just as he highlighted his major priorities as education and empowerment of women, youth and civil servants. Noting that his government would continue from where the Kwankwaso administration stopped on education and empowerment, he also promised to improve road infrastructure, as well as ensure development across all sectors of the economy.
Nasir Mukhtar of LPN also said his main target is to improve the economy of the state, and also block all influx of drugs commonly abused by youth and reform them.
For Takai, his administration would focus on empowerment of youth. He also promised to encourage youth to embrace skill acquisition.
Of the three candidates present, only the PDP presented a hard copy of his action plan, whereas Takai, who earlier said his was not ready, later said it was ready in his conclusion remarks.
