By Jude Opara, Abuja

The last may not have been heard of the political crisis rocking Kano State since the court sacked the governor, Abba Yusuf as the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) of plotting to stage a violent protest in the state on Saturday.

Similarly, the APC said it is equally planning to organize a counter-peaceful protest on the same day in the state to ensure that the people were not deceived that what the government is doing is the right thing.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, spokesman of the Kano APC Stakeholders, Sulieman Bichi said the NNPP has disrupted the peaceful nature of the state since they came to power about six months ago.

Bichi said; “Kano remained peaceful throughout the eight-year administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as evidenced in the increased number of governmental, non-governmental Organisations and corporate bodies rushing to Kano to hold their conferences, seminars, symposia and Annual General Meetings and importantly inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

“Since the conduct of the 2023 governorship election and the declaration of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) as the winner, the ruling APC as a peace-loving party, remained calm and shunned any form of violence.

“However, the people of Kano have been living in perpetual fear of intimidation and threat to life and property, since the assumption of office, starting with the orgy of violence by elements of the NNPP, targeted at the All Progressives Congress (APC). Apart from public property, the state headquarters of our party and properties of some leading figures of the APC were torched, all in the name of celebration.

“The APC as a party that has always been promoting the cause of democracy and the rule of law, rejected the outcome of the election and sought to reclaim its mandate through the appropriate channel as laid down in the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“After filing its case at the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that sat in Kano, the APC patiently pursued it for months up to the pronouncement of the stage where the three-man panel of judges fixed the date for the judgement”.

Bichi added that the NNPP sensing defeat has resorted to threats and intimidation of even the judges handling the suit.

“However, sensing defeat, the NNPP resorted to threatening to kill the judges of the tribunal should the verdict of the court eventually be announced and not in their favour. The threats by the NNPP government’s cabinet members included among others, the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Baffa Bichi, forced the tribunal to deliver its judgement via Zoom for fear of their lives.

“The NNPP government then resorted to sponsored street protests, including embarrassingly the one held in London on which millions of naira were said to have been spent. The aim of the protests to further instil fear in the mind of the people failed, as only a few attended”.

Bichi equally fingered the former governor of the state, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso as having fueled the recent protests as well as the alleged other plans to instigate actions inimical to peace and order.

“Gentlemen of the press, things appear to be getting worse since the embattled leader of the NNPP Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso came back to Kano on Sunday, where he held a meeting of the party’s stakeholders, at the end of which they come up with lineup of activities that included unleashing of violence to not only eliminate the APC in Kano but also to make it ungovernable in the event of Supreme Court judgement in favour of the APC.

“We have it from reliable sources that they are planning a mass protest on Saturday during which key figures of the APC will be targeted, if possible, to eliminate them”.

The APC also said they have approached the Kano State Police Command to ensure adequate protection of lives and property.