NNPP accuses DSS of plans to scuttle Kano governorship poll

By Oloyede Emmanuel

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Kano state chapter, has accused the Department of State Service (DSS) of underground moves with Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to subvert the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for  Saturday.

However, in a swift reaction, the DSS said that the agency has arrested two chieftains of  NNPP for deliberately inciting violence in parts of Kano State. The duo are Sharu Abubakar Tabula and Isma’il Iliyasu Mangu

Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Kano, a chieftain of NNPP, Dr. Abdullahi Bappa Bichi, alleged that the state Director of DSS in Kano, Mr. Mohammed Alhassan is  the one spearheading the move to create the chaos and anarchy during the Saturday election .

Alhaji Bichi  also alleged that Alhassan was due to have retired from the service over a year ago but was illegally retained to execute the hatchet job for his long time friend, Abdullahi Ganduje.

He disclosed that "Governor Gabduje 's friendship with Alhaji Alhassan started when Ganduje was the Sole Administrator of Gwagwalada Council in FCT and Alhassan was an SSS officer,’’ 

  “We have written to Mr. President. We have written to the DG of DSS. We have written to all heads of security agencies and Service Chiefs, drawing attention to this anomaly. No officer is indispensable."he said.

According to him," The Director has outlived his service year by over a year. His continuous stay in Service is both illegal and immoral. Moreso, he is being kept with the ulterior motive of doing a very unpatriotic hatchet job of subverting the will of the people of Kano State. He is being kept to rig election. He is being kept to undermine democracy.”

Alhaji Bichi said: "One of the Chief architects that anchored the subversion of the will of the Kano people in 2019 is the long-term ally and the closest family-friend of the Ganduje family, who, at the request of Ganduje was posted to Kano as the DSS Director of Kano State in 2017. ‘’

He also alleged that "Mr. Ganduje officially requested that Mr. Alhassan be posted to Kano and even when all State Directors have been redeployed to other states, Mr. Alhassan has been kept in Kano for over half a decade without redeployment. We are even more concerned that over a year ago, Mr. Alhassan was due to retire from the Service and proceed on retirement but Mr. Ganduje wrote officially, again, to the Director General of DSS, pleading that Mr. Alhassan be retained in the Service and be kept in Kano until after the 2023 general elections.

He alleged that the  “tactical team of DSS who are already in Kano for a dirty job and are being kept in hotels and safe houses within the state.

He described the  2023 Gubernatorial elections is a contest between the NNPP and the DSS which has made it a national project by deploying everything at its disposal to steal people’s mandate”

"DSS in Kano under the leadership of Mohammed Alhassan have compromised their oath of service, and we have equally drawn the attention of other sister agencies to their plot, " he said.

Bichi appealed to President Buhari to intervene and cause the DG of DSS to allow Mr. Alhassan to proceed on his retirement.