The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano) has alleged that the Kano State deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maritala Garo, is supporting the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Doguwa, during a press briefing on Friday, said Mr Garo, who is married to Walidah Atiku, is working for his father-in-law after failing to get the governorship ticket.
Mr Garo married Atiku’s daughter in 2016 in Yola.
The lawmaker alleged that Mr Garo, a former commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, confided in him that he would rather be an in-law to a president than become a deputy governor, a position that is akin to a governor’s messenger.
“His last wife is the daughter of Atiku Abubakar. When he was not given the ticket, I visited him, and he told me that since you have messed me up, since the system has undermined what I did for the party, I will rather become an in-law to a president than a deputy governor that will make me just like a messenger.
“This is the disposition of the boy. What he is doing today – to God who created me — he has no faith in working for APC, he is working to become an inlaw to a president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which I believe will never happen. The president of FRN is Muhammadu Buhari. The incoming president to take over from Buhari is Senator Bola Tinubu,” he said.
Mr Doguwa did not present any evidence of his accusation.
Mr Doguwa’s allegation is coming amid the latest crisis that is brewing in APC Kano.
Recall the alleged violence that happened between Messrs Doguwa and Garo, where the latter accused the former of attacking him with a tea cup at the political meeting on Monday.
Mr Garo told BBC Hausa that the majority leader violently invaded a meeting at the deputy governor’s residence and made several “baseless accusations” against the gathering including the deputy governor, Nasiru Gawuna, who is also the party’s governorship candidate.
He said the majority leader became violent and injured him with a teacup while he was trying to defend himself against some of the accusations.
Mr Doguwa has since denied the allegation, stating that Mr Garo slipped in the melee that ensued at the meeting.
The lawmaker said he was not invited to the meeting but stumbled upon the meeting and raised concerns over the exclusion of members of the National Assembly from Kano State.
He is too young to order me around
During Friday’s briefing, Mr Doguwa said the deputy governorship candidate, who is 38 years old, is too young to be giving him orders.
He added that Mr Garo is displeased with him because he refused to put his picture in any of his campaign paraphernalia.
“He was nursing governorship ambition, but God knows that with Murtala Garo, Kano would have been in trouble.
“His age is on the low side, his experience is on the low side. I am not saying that he is not qualified to be a governor or to run for governorship; somebody who is not up to half of age.”