Governor Yusuf Distribution Of Plots Of Land, N100M To APC Members Violates Democratic Principles, CSOs
From Muhammad Kabir, Kano
A Coalition of 23 Civil society Organizations in Kano State, have condemned the recent Governor Yusuf distribution of 1,540 plots of land and N100 million to grassroots leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The CSOs described the Governor’s actions as an alleged abuse of public resources and a violation of democratic principles.
The coalition, operating under the League of Civil Society Organisations, LCSO, made its position known in a statement issued on Saturday and endorsed by 23 civil society groups in the state.
According to the coalition, the alleged allocation comes at a time when millions of Kano residents are battling economic hardship and widespread poverty.
Citing the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Multidimensional Poverty Index, the group said Kano has a multidimensional poverty rate of 66.3 per cent, with about 10.51 million residents living in poverty.
“The League of Civil Society Organisations in Kano State strongly condemns the recent distribution of 1,540 plots of land and N100 million in public funds to grassroots leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” the statement said.
It added, “This allocation is a direct affront to the millions of Kano residents currently enduring acute, structural hardship.”
The coalition also referenced projections by PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, and the World Bank, saying worsening poverty and declining living standards across Nigeria made the alleged allocation unjustifiable.
The organisations accused the Kano State Government of placing political patronage above the welfare of citizens.
“By converting state-owned land, a finite and invaluable resource, into a tool for partisan mobilisation, the current administration has demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the fiduciary duty it owes to the people of Kano,” the statement added.
The coalition further alleged that the distribution violated provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022 and the Land Use Act.
It cited Section 15(5) of the Constitution, which mandates the state to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power, as well as Section 121 of the Electoral Act, which prohibits bribery and inducement in relation to elections.
According to the group, the alleged use of public funds and state-owned land to reward political actors amounted to electoral inducement.
“The LCSO demands that these actions be scrutinised as a criminal violation of the Electoral Act, as they clearly transcend the boundaries of lawful governance and enter the realm of prohibited electoral inducement,” the coalition stated.
It also argued that the alleged allocation undermined the provisions of the Land Use Act, which vests land in state governors to hold in trust for the benefit of all Nigerians.
The coalition called for the immediate suspension of the alleged allocation of the plots and N100 million pending an independent investigation.
It also urged the Kano State House of Assembly to investigate the source of the funds and the criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries.
The group further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to investigate the matter as a possible violation of the Electoral Act and demanded the publication of the full list of beneficiaries in the interest of transparency.
“Democracy in Kano must be built on the bedrock of transparency, merit, and equality,” the statement said.
“We call on all stakeholders, including the judiciary, the press, and the good people of Kano, to join us in resisting this slide into institutionalised cronyism.”
