Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano state, has ordered the immediate closure of two major stadiums in the state. The Cable reports that the governor gave this order on Tuesday, February 5, five days to Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign rally. The governor ordered the renovation of Sani Abacha Stadium situated at Kofar Mata and Kano Pillars stadium at Sabon Gari and this is expected to end on February 18.
The proposed general renovation works include the installation of the new score board, the running track and provision of sources for steady water supply to all parts of the stadiums. Abbati Sabo who is the spokesman of the sports commission said the closure was not targeted at the presidential rally of Atiku but as a result of the 2019-2020 Nigeria Premier League (NPL) season. He said: “As far as I am concerned, this directive doesn’t have a political undertone. The state government was advised to order for the renovation of the stadium ahead of the NPL season.
“The government had now heeded to the advice and ordered for the project in order to have smooth conduct of the league. As you can see, the facility is in need of repair and the government has now answered the call for its renovation.”
Meanwhile, Buba Galadima, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential campaign spokesman, on Sunday, February 3, alleged that the massive crowds that attended All Progressives Congress (APC) rallies were paid.
Galadima claimed: “Every campaign that Buhari goes to in an APC-controlled state, local governments are empowered with twenty to forty-five million naira to purchase people and bring them to these rallies, and suddenly Buhari starts addressing the crowd and they all disappear because they must fulfil the contract for which they were brought in.”
