Presidency knocks Kwankwaso over comments on Kano deaths

The Presidency has chided former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over comments on the “unusual deaths” and COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

It said this is no time to score cheap political points but to unify common purpose in order to preserve the lives and health of citizens.

It was earlier reported on Monday that Kwankwaso wrote a letter to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, alleging that COVID-19, not malaria was killing people in Kano, thereby faulting the claim of the incumbent and his political rival, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Part of the letter read, “Permit me, Mr. President, to draw your attention to the spike in mystery deaths among the aged population in Kano State in the last couple of weeks. Hundreds of funerals have been recorded in all the cemeteries of the eight metropolitan local governments alone.


“Looking at the pattern elsewhere in the world where senior citizens with preexisting conditions were the main fatalities of the novel coronavirus, we are concerned that the inability to conduct tests in the state to determine the status of these senior citizens might be responsible for their death.”

However, in a statement on Wednesday night by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the Presidency said all parties must work together to defeat the lethal virus regardless of the camp they belong to.

“If there is reason to believe that the mortality rate in Kano due to COVID-19 is out of control, it will spell a serious development to which the best action would be for the Federal government and state government to work more tightly together to find solutions and implement together.

“There is no time for energy wasted on political point-scoring, whether by current or former holders of office – or for any differences between state and federal administrations to be publicly aired. This is no time for talk. Our common purpose is to preserve the lives and health of citizens,” Shehu stated.

He added that the Federal Government is with the people of Kano State and would not let them down.

Kano is on a 14-day lockdown which started on Monday night as ordered by Buhari, being part of measures to curb the spread of the novel virus.

According to the state Health Ministry, 139 coronavirus cases and five deaths have been confirmed in Kano as of Thursday morning.