Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress Legacy Group in Kano State have settled on Murtala Sule Garo as their preferred candidate for deputy governor, following a marathon meeting that stretched into the early hours of Sunday.
The nomination fills the vacuum created by the resignation of former Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo on March 27, which triggered intense consultations within the state’s ruling political structure.
The meeting, which reportedly lasted until about 4 a.m., saw party leaders deliberate extensively on three shortlisted candidates before arriving at a consensus. The nominees initially presented to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf were Garo, former Secretary to the State Government Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, and Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly Alhassan Rirum Falgore.
APC chieftain Magaji Umar Gwammaja, who issued a statement on behalf of the stakeholders, described the trio as notable political figures with vast governance experience. However, after what he termed “intense discussions,” Garo emerged as the consensus choice.
The process was not without internal contestation. Some loyalists of Governor Yusuf had preferred Falgore for the role, with sources indicating the governor was initially believed to have considered the Speaker as a possible replacement. However, political calculations within the APC Legacy Group tilted the balance against selecting a candidate from the governor’s immediate political camp.
Insiders argued that since Falgore shares the same political alignment with the governor, it was strategically important to nominate a strong figure from the legacy APC bloc — particularly one aligned with former governor and APC chieftain Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
A key turning point was Ganduje’s reported intervention, in which he met with President Bola Tinubu to highlight the political risks of overlooking Garo. Ganduje is said to have drawn attention to the vacuum created by the defection of former APC governorship candidate Nasiru Gawuna, arguing that Garo’s grassroots appeal made him best placed to consolidate the party’s base in Kano.
Garo brings considerable administrative experience to the nomination. A former local government chairman, commissioner and chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Kano State, party insiders cited his loyalty to the APC, grassroots mobilisation capacity and the fact that he currently holds no political office as factors that worked in his favour.
The other contenders presented strong credentials of their own. Bichi previously served as Managing Director of the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria, led the Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority and held key positions as commissioner and Secretary to the State Government. He currently heads the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority. Rirum, meanwhile, has served three terms in the Kano State House of Assembly including as Speaker and is currently in his second term in the House of Representatives representing Rano, Kibiya and Bunkure Federal Constituency.
Garo’s nomination is expected to be followed by security screening and profiling by relevant agencies in Abuja. Upon clearance, Governor Yusuf is expected to consult with President Tinubu before forwarding a formal nomination to the Kano State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation in line with constitutional provisions.
The outcome is widely seen as a significant development in Kano’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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