REJOINDER: The Fallacy of the “Commander” and the Burden of Integrity
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By Halima Isyaku Dantsoho
I read with a mix of amusement and concern the defense of Hon. Murtala Sule Garo by Hadi Abdullahi Muhammad, which attempts to frame the valid scrutiny of a public figure as a mere product of “internal power struggles.” While it is convenient to label every criticism a “media trial,” we must confront the reality that leadership is a sacred trust, not a reward for street mobilization. To suggest that Garo is the ideal choice for Deputy Governor—particularly in the wake of the recent political shift that saw Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf move to the APC—is to ignore the very “storm” the author claims to see. The vacancy in the Deputy Governor’s office exists because Kano is attempting to move past a season of distraction following the resignation of the former occupant; why then would the state replace a controversy with a liability? We are talking about a man who remains entangled in significant litigation regarding his past tenure as Commissioner, and to elevate such an individual to the second-highest office in the state would be like putting out a fire with petrol. It would lock the administration into a permanent state of legal defense, ensuring that the coming years are spent in courtrooms rather than on the construction of a better Kano.
The author praises Garo as a “Commander” of the grassroots, yet in a state as economically vital as ours, “mobilization” is not a substitute for administrative integrity. The “grassroots” of which he speaks—the traders, farmers, and youths—are the primary victims when public funds are allegedly mismanaged at the local government level. True loyalty to the base is shown through transparent governance and the systemic protection of public wealth, not through the strategic distribution of startup tools during an election cycle. If the APC national leadership and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are truly committed to a “Renewed Hope” agenda, they must recognize that elevating a figure with such unresolved legal narratives contradicts the very integrity the party must represent in this new era. Perfection may not be the standard, but accountability is. Fairness does not mean ignoring a mountain of evidence in favor of political popularity; it means letting the courts decide a man’s fate before he is granted the prestige of high office. Kano has moved forward into a new political era, and it is time our leadership choices reflected a future built on stability rather than a return to the controversies of the past.
Halima Isyaku Dantsoho is a freelance Journalist based in Kano.