The Kebbi State Government has rejected calls by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Campaign Council for a review of the appointments of 21 professors heading Local Government Education Authorities across the state, describing the opposition party’s intervention as politically motivated and urging it to focus instead on presenting its programmes to voters.
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The government’s position was contained in a statement jointly signed on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Garba Dutsinmari, and Magatakardan Bagudo, Aminu Shehu.
The officials said the professors were appointed as part of Governor Nasir Idris’ effort to inject academic and intellectual leadership into the administration of basic education across Kebbi State’s 21 local government areas.
The appointments date back to November 2024, when the state government selected Kebbi-born academics to chair Local Government Education Authorities as part of its education reform programme. Subsequent government accounts have also said the professors were provided official vehicles and enhanced allowances to support their work.
The latest controversy followed an appeal attributed to the ADC Campaign Council’s Director of Strategic Communications, Bello Abdullahi, concerning the appointments and the provision of official vehicles to the academics.
Responding, the Kebbi government accused the opposition of dragging the professors into partisan politics and maintained that their responsibilities were administrative and educational rather than political.
“Leave our Professors alone. They are not politicians. They are busy reforming our education,” the officials said.
The government also defended Idris’ record in the education sector, citing what it described as the declaration of a state of emergency on education, renovation of more than 2,000 primary schools, recruitment of more than 2,000 teachers and increases in scholarships for Kebbi students.
“It was this same Governor you are trying to blackmail that declared a State of Emergency on Education, renovated over 2,000 primary schools, recruited over 2,000 teachers, increased scholarships for Kebbi students, and restored dignity to the teaching profession,” the statement said.
Some of those education interventions have also been reported separately. Earlier accounts stated that the Idris administration had renovated and furnished more than 2,000 schools and recruited 2,000 teachers, while a more recent report said local education management committees chaired by academics were being used to strengthen monitoring and oversight of basic education.
The state officials questioned why the ADC’s reported concern centred on vehicles provided to the professors rather than educational outcomes such as school enrolment, reduction in the number of out-of-school children and teacher performance.
“If you genuinely care about education, why didn’t you ask the Professors about enrollment, out-of-school children reduction, or teacher performance? Why is your only concern about vehicles?” they asked.
The exchange is unfolding against the backdrop of the 2027 Kebbi governorship contest between the APC administration and former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is the ADC governorship candidate in the state. The ADC formally listed Malami and Zagi Musa Mohammed as its governorship and deputy governorship candidates respectively.
The ADC has been expanding its campaign activities in Kebbi and says its programme will focus on education, healthcare, security, agriculture and employment.
At a recent regional event, ADC governorship candidates in the North-West, including Malami, also signed a joint campaign compact containing commitments on security, healthcare, wages and regional development.
The Kebbi government, however, used its response to the professors’ controversy to turn attention to Malami’s record during the eight years he served as Attorney-General of the Federation under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Where was he when Kebbi youth were jobless? Where were the empowerment, the federal appointments, the industries for Kebbi people?” the government officials asked.
They further alleged that Malami did not adequately address challenges facing Kebbi residents while serving in the Federal Executive Council and accused him of using his federal position for himself and associates.
The statement did not provide specific evidence to substantiate those allegations, and they remain political claims by officials of the APC-led Kebbi government rather than established findings.
The political exchanges between supporters of Idris and Malami have intensified in recent days. On September 22, an aide to Governor Idris publicly defended his principal’s record while questioning Malami’s suitability for the governorship, another sign of the increasingly direct contest between both camps ahead of the 2027 election.
The state government also highlighted what it described as Idris’ achievements in road construction, construction of a new state secretariat, education and prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
It said Kebbi required what it described as tested and compassionate leadership, while alleging that the alternative could involve the use of public office for accumulation of wealth and prosecution of political opponents.
Again, those characterisations were presented by the state officials as political arguments in support of the incumbent administration and were not accompanied in the statement by independent evidence establishing wrongdoing by Malami.
The government consequently asked the ADC to leave the professors out of the governorship contest and challenge the administration on policies and measurable outcomes instead.
“If ADC has any serious agenda for Kebbi, let them present it to the people instead of hiding behind Professors and vehicles,” the officials said.
Political mobilisation has also increased on both sides.
According to the ADC Campaign Council, the Jarkuka Youth Development Association recently visited its Director of Youth and Students Mobilisation and pledged support for Malami and other ADC candidates.
The APC administration has similarly publicised support from groups including members of the Kebbi State Hunters Association drawn from the state’s 21 local government areas.
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