THE Kano State Governor, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf, has established the Kano Elders Council to serve as an advisory body to the government.
This is contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa, and issued to newsmen on Sunday.
He noted that the state has been blessed with numerous elders and former leaders who have achieved the pinnacle of their careers and continue to be active and healthy.
The Council of Elders, according to the statement, comprises former Governors, Deputy Governors, Senate Presidents, Speakers of the House of Representatives, Speakers of the State House of Assembly, Deputy Speakers, retired Supreme Court justices, retired Appeal Court justices, former Chief Justices of the state, former Secretaries to the State Government, and former Heads of State Civil Service, who are all indigenous to the state.
While Rabiu Kwankwaso served two terms as governor of the state between 1999-2003 and 2011-2015,Ibrahim Shekarau succeeded Kwankwaso and governed the state from 2003-2011.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje took over from Kwankwaso in 2015. He picked Yusuf as his deputy governor when his deputy professor Hafizu Abubakar resigned.
Additionally, the council includes the leadership of the Ulamas, the business community, traditional rulers, former heads of security agencies from Kano State, and other distinguished elders to be identified and appointed by the government.
“These elders possess a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience, and his administration will deliberately seek to harness their versatile expertise,” the governor noted.
According to the statement, the date for the inauguration of the council would be announced later.
The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the election of Yusuf as governor of the State setting aside the lower courts’ decisions sacking him.
The tribunal had set aside Yusuf Abba of the New Nigeria Peoples Party victory after declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid. The tribunal held that the deducted votes were from ballot papers that were neither stamped nor signed.
He then approached the appeal court for redress. The appeal court upheld the tribunal’s decision and faulted the lower court for not disqualifying the governor.
The appellate court said the governor was not properly sponsored by the New Nigeria Peoples Party, thus violating the provisions of Section 177 (c) of the constitution.
The Supreme Court has, however, affirmed his election victory.