Kawu Sumaila: I delivered on my promises, let Kano South judge me

Senator Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila has challenged the people of Kano South Senatorial District to assess his first three years in the 10th National Assembly based on his legislative record, projects and interventions, saying he would accept their verdict ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Kawu Sumaila spoke on Sunday at a public accountability session organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano State Council, Correspondents’ Chapel, in collaboration with his office, to review his 2023 campaign promises and present his three-year scorecard to the people of Kano South.

The event attracted the Chief Imam of Sahaba Juma’at Mosque in Kano, Muhammad Bin Usman; Professor of Political Science at Bayero University Kano (BUK), Professor Habu Fagge; former Director-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Dr Aliyu Kibiya; political former Secretary to the Takai Local Government Area Council Sani Zuga, constituents from Kano South; politicians from across Kano State; civil society representatives; and journalists and other invited guests.

The session provided an opportunity for the senator to account for his stewardship, while journalists and other stakeholders examined his campaign commitments, legislative activities, projects and interventions across the 16 local government areas of Kano South.

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Recalling his campaign engagement with the people of Kano South, on October 10, 2022, Kawu Sumaila said he had outlined an agenda centred on social justice, with particular emphasis on education, healthcare, water for domestic use and irrigation, and agriculture.

He said he accepted the NUJ’s invitation without hesitation because accountability, transparency and continuous engagement with citizens were essential to democratic governance.

According to him, the accountability initiative represented a departure from traditional political campaigns dominated by personal attacks and character assassination towards an issue-based political culture focused on development, policy records and measurable achievements.

He urged journalists, scholars and other stakeholders to listen to his presentation with patience and fairness, saying the facts and data presented should form the basis of their assessment.

“I ask only that you do justice in your assessment, reporting and judgment, for the truth, when presented clearly, speaks for itself,” he said.

Kawu Sumaila said his office had documented about 50 major legislative interventions from among his activities in the National Assembly for presentation at the event, alongside about 140 projects and interventions implemented across the 16 local government areas of Kano South.

He explained that the 140 projects represented broad categories, with some encompassing hundreds or thousands of individual interventions.

For instance, he said a single project category involving water pumps represented about 6,000 individual water-pumping machines, while another borehole category included hundreds of boreholes and solar-powered water facilities.

He said similar categorisation applied to dam-related interventions and other projects implemented across the senatorial district.

The senator attributed the achievements to collaboration among elected representatives, government officials, community leaders, political stakeholders and members of his team.

He acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf; Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin; Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Kabir Bichi; and members of the National Assembly representing Kano South for what he described as their support and collaboration.

Kawu Sumaila also acknowledged traditional rulers, community leaders, party members and residents of Kano South for supporting his representation.

He said the size and diversity of Kano South, comprising 16 local government areas and 171 political wards, made representation particularly demanding.

The senator said he had devoted considerable time to studying the challenges affecting the district and understanding legislative procedures, drawing from his previous experience in the National Assembly and as a former Senior Special Assistant to the President.

“If you elect someone who knows the people and knows the region, things become easier. I am always available to the people,” he said.

He added that young people working with him had played a significant role in designing and executing some of the initiatives credited to his office, saying several of them had acquired the skills required to undertake the work without relying on external consultants.

Kawu Sumaila further emphasised his connection with the grassroots, saying members of his family and community network remained closely connected to residents and helped his team understand local concerns.

‘Hold me accountable for delivery’

The senator criticised what he described as a growing tendency by some radio stations to focus on personal disputes, insults and character attacks rather than tracking the performance of public officials.

“What you should expect from me is simply asking me to do the work,” he said, urging the media to focus on whether elected representatives were delivering on the mandates entrusted to them.

He said public officials should not be judged by personal attributes or political quarrels but by the extent to which they deliver on the responsibilities entrusted to them.

Kawu Sumaila also challenged critics of his record to engage him directly, saying his “door is open” to anyone seeking clarification or disputing his account of stewardship.

He said he was prepared to participate in further public engagements or debates where his performance could be scrutinised.

‘I’m not afraid of opposition’

Addressing a question about possible opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, Kawu Sumaila said he was not intimidated by political competition and rejected the use of violence or thuggery as a means of retaining political office.

He said he had been involved in politics for nearly 24 years and came from a politically active family, adding that opposition politics was not new to him.

“I know what I have achieved. My point is, I went to the Senate, and there are operational procedures in the Senate. This is what I am expected to deliver, and I delivered it,” he said.

The senator maintained that the electorate had the ultimate authority to decide whether he deserved another term.

“If they are satisfied, they are satisfied; that’s it. If they aren’t satisfied, they will look for someone better than me,” he said.

He rejected any suggestion that political opposition would make him resort to thuggery, insisting that he was opposed to political violence.

Kawu Sumaila also distanced himself from drug distribution and other activities capable of harming young people, noting his involvement in education and his responsibility for thousands of young people across Nigeria.

NUJ: ‘We will hold you accountable’

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Kano Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ said the session was organised as part of the media’s responsibility to hold public officials accountable.

He said Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, places responsibility on the mass media to hold government accountable to the people.

The chairman said the session was therefore designed to examine how far Kawu Sumaila had fulfilled the promises he made during the 2023 campaign and to question what he had achieved during his first three years in office.

He said journalists would also seek to establish why the people of Kano South should consider entrusting the senator with another term in 2027, including whether his legislative experience and contributions in the Senate justified such support.

The NUJ official commended Kawu Sumaila for accepting the invitation to publicly account for his stewardship, describing the initiative as one that other elected and appointed officials could emulate.

He assured participants that journalists would report the senator’s submissions adequately and encouraged other public office holders to similarly subject their records to public scrutiny.

The presence of Professor Habu Fagge, Sheikh Muhammad Bin Usman, Dr Aliyu Kibiya, Kano South constituents, politicians, civil society representatives and journalists underscored the broad stakeholder participation in the accountability exercise.

The event also featured questions and interactions on the senator’s legislative activities, projects, interventions and relationship with constituents, as Kawu Sumaila defended his record and explained the approach adopted by his office during the first three years of the current National Assembly.

Kawu Sumaila concluded by challenging anyone who disagreed with his assessment of his performance to come forward for further engagement or debate, saying his record should be judged on the basis of what he had delivered to the people of Kano South.