From Ibrahim Garba,Kano

Kano State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau has lambasted former Speaker of the House of Representative, Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, describing him as an irrelevant politician in the present dispensation.

 Governor Ibrahim Shekarau’s attack on the former speaker and kingsman was his reaction to a statement credited to Na’Abba to the effect that his leadership was a total failure and a disappointment to the people of Kano State.

 Speaking through his director of press and publicity, Malam Sule Ya’u Sule, Shekarau further described the former speaker’s out burst as, "ranting of failure and frustration", pointing out that, his action reflects his desperate efforts to remain politically relevant.

 In his words, naturally the opposition will never see anything good in the government in power and so would always unleash their frustration on the government, no matter how good such a government is"

 Besides, "he has remained politically irrelevant since he lost his bid to return to the House of Representatives in 2003, where he once served as speaker".

 The governor said, Ghali miscalculated by singling him out for unprovoked attack, pointing out that, as far as Kano State politics was concerned, "the former Speaker would remain a political onlooker as he has lost his credibility amongst the electorate"..  

 The governor recalled that, the former Speaker emerged in 1999 by sheer accident rather than merit under a regional quota arrangement, following the resignation of his predecessor, Alhaji Salisu Buhari.

 According to him, "anyone who lives in Kano can attest to the fact that this government had not only done well in terms of development but has made appreciable contributions that touch on the lives of the people of the state. This accounted for, my making history as the first governor to be given a second mandate by the Kano electorate".

 Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the activities of the state were being monitored and assessed even by International Development Partners, like DFID and USAID among others who continue to recommend projects to be sited in Kano in apparent appreciation of the seriousness demonstrated by his administration in the area of human oriented programmes and government judicious spending of resources.

 Describing the Peoples Democratic Party PDP chieftain as a political prostitute, he recalled how Ghali in search of a platform to pursue his governorship ambition which was frustrated in PDP, moved to Action Congress(AC), where he suffered another round of bitter experience which led to his return to the PDP. "This does not speak well of a serious minded politician", he said.