- Gwarzo disclosed that his removal from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet has political undertone as he was not indicted of poor performance
The sacked Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo, says the termination of his appointment has nothing to do with poor appraisal.
Gwarzo disclosed that his removal from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet has political undertone as he was not indicted of poor performance.
Tinubu had carried out a cabinet reshuffle on October 23, 2024, sacking Gwarzo alongside four other ministers.
The other dismissed ministers are Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John, Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, and the Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim.
Commenting on the development, Gwarzo said he was aware of his dismissal before it was made public as the president informed him about the decision.
“I was surprised because I wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing or poor performance.” The minister told BBC Hausa.
“And I was minister of state, with the senior minister overseeing a large portion of the Ministry’s activities.
“Before the announcement, the President had informed me of his decision.”
Gwarzo stated that he found the reason given by the president that his dismissal was because Kano central was heavily represented in his government hence the need for a balance as unconvincing and he suspected that certain actors were pulling the strings.
“He said Kano North was overloaded with political officers, hence the need to strike a balance. We gave our advice, but it was ignored.
“From there, I began to suspect that certain individuals were behind this because, to me, that wasn’t a valid reason.
“If the ministerial slot is indeed meant for Kano Central, we have our 2023 governorship candidate who is also our leader in Kano Central. Why not consider giving him the position?
“Gawuna should be offered the role first, unless he declines, in which case it could be given to someone else.
“All other candidates from Plateau and Zamfara states who contested for the governorships were appointed to positions.”