The Patriotic Volunteers, a group within the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, has announced plans to form what it calls a “shadow government” to checkmate the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Speaking at a press conference in Kano, the National President of the group and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Usman Alhaji, stated that plans are underway to establish a shadow government apparatus that will effectively monitor the activities of the current Kano State government. He emphasized that the people of Kano deserve to be informed about the alleged failures of Abba Yusuf’s administration.
According to him, the group is planning to assign its members to various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to monitor their activities and provide “constructive” criticism that would prompt the government to take necessary actions.
“This is what is obtainable in the UK, where opposition parties form a shadow government to checkmate the incumbent administration. We are going to replicate it in Kano by assigning our members to MDAs to monitor their activities and produce reports. We are committed to this because we want a better Kano for all,” he said.
He further explained that the APC Patriotic Volunteers, which currently has 60,000 members across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state, has commenced an online registration exercise to expand its membership base. The group is targeting one million members by 2027, with an immediate goal of reaching 200,000 members through the ongoing online registration.
He added that the group was created to promote internal democracy within the APC and ensure good governance in the state.
Reacting to the group’s claims, the Kano State government described the group’s intention to form a shadow government as a desperate and politically motivated scheme, which poses serious social and legal implications for Kano State and Nigeria’s democratic system.
In a statement issued and signed by the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Wayya, the government stated that democracy does not permit anyone to lose their sense of judgment simply because they have lost relevance within their party’s political structure.
He added that the right to freedom of expression does not grant anyone the liberty to make reckless statements or take actions that undermine constitutional governance and the sovereignty of an elected government.
“Let me remind these elements within the Kano APC that, in a democratic system like ours, forming a government within a government is entirely illegal and unconstitutional. A shadow government, as practiced in the United Kingdom, exists within a parliamentary system, where opposition parties appoint ‘shadow ministers’ to scrutinize the ruling government. However, Nigeria operates a presidential system, which neither recognizes nor supports such a structure outside the institutional framework of the law,” he said.
