The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, has advised Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to convene a security summit with political leaders and security agencies in the state to map out strategies to avert violence during the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
The Emir’s call came against the backdrop of drumbeat of war by critical stakeholders in the state.
Sanusi, who gave the advice while paying homage to Ganduje during the traditional Hawan Nasarawa at the Government House as part of activities marking the Eid-el-Fitr, also stressed the need for political leaders to address thuggery.
He warned that once politicians refuse to play politics according to the rule of the game, there was every tendency that many people could lose their lives as a result of their action or inaction.
He said: “We have a single request to the governor on security. We are appealing to governor to invite all state chairmen of political parties to work out how to conduct violence-free elections.
“People should also understand that calling politicians under one umbrella for the purpose of putting things in good shape doesn’t mean calling people to switch over to other political parties.
“It is high time the politicians were cautioned against promoting hatred among one another or anything capable of jeopardising peace as an ingredient of social co-existence.”
Admonishing Ganduje to adopt decisive measures against drug abuse, Sanusi said: ”We have seen how drugs impacted negatively on our youths and the urgent need to take drastic measure to address the menace. We have to also prioritise the issue of health and education for us to have a decent society.”
In his response, Governor Ganduje condemned the conduct of some politicians, who he said were “hell bent on attacking political opponents in order to smear their names and their reputation built over the years.”
Ganduje noted that the present day political class was dangerously playing with words in the local media to denigrate the status of their opponent in the eyes of the general public.
