Gubernatorial aspirant escapes assassination as Ganduje’s deputy wins APC ticket

Chairman, House committee on security and intelligence, and gubernatorial aspirant, Hon. Shaaba Ibrahim Sharada narrowly escaped an attempted assassination on Thursday at the Sani Abacha stadium, the venue of the APC gubernatorial primary in Kano.

The member, representing Kano municipal in the house representatives, who lost the APC governorship primary to Governor Abdullah Umar Ganduje’s deputy Governor, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, had rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging large scale irregularities.

The lawmaker in a statement on Friday said he took the risk to ignore an intelligent notice of a security threat plan against him at the venue of the primary.

Shaaban explained that while contemplating the security threat to his life, he was shocked to have received, almost in the same period another text message from the Chairman of the election, Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, urging him to appear at the venue for the commencement of the exercise.

The legislator, who narrated how he eventually disguised and sneaked into the venue untouched however regretted how some of his supporters were brutally macheted with dangerous weapons to the state of coma.

He also gave an account of how he was dispossessed of his personal security men that came with him from Abuja and the way his death rumor went viral on social media even while he was at the venue seated.

“Few minutes to the commencement of the exercise, I was cautioned by a security personal not come to the venue of the election the same time the electoral chairman sent me text message urging me to come to the venue because election is about to start,” Shaaban said.

“To my surprise, the security personnel deployed from Abuja were asked to step down from escorting me to the election venue. In addition to this discovery, another person informed me of a rumor circulating on the issue of my assassination all in an attempt to deter me from becoming the APC flag bear.

“I took the required safety measures and sneaked into the election venue, thanks to Allah (SWT). In my manifesto speech, I drew the attention of the entire stakeholders on the plans by the Kano State Government to enforce an anointed candidate to our party delegates by not allowing them to exercise their constitutional right to vote their preferred candidate.

“However, no action was taken While the exercise continues, there were further plans to use thugs and end my life on my exit from the venue. Later, I equally received another intelligence that those thugs already attacked, killed and injured many of my supporters and that prompted me to quickly leave the venue and proceeded to the hospital where they were receiving medical attentionn.”

When contacted for inquiry over the killing, the Police spokesman in Kano, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said the security has not received any report on the incident.

Meanwhile, Gawuna was declared the winner of the primary with 2, 289 votes leaving the federal lawmaker, Sha’aban with 30 count votes of the delegates. Announcing the outcome of the primary, at exactly 4.45am, Chairman, electoral committee and leader of APC national delegation, Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura certified Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s deputy and declared him returned elected.

Gawuna alongside immediate past Commissioner for Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Murtala Sule Garo has gained the endorsement of Ganduje as governorship candidate and running mate.