Egbetokun again invites Kano Gov’s spokesman over Ganduje’s suspension after failed attempt to nick him in 2024 over same matter
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has again summoned Sanusi Dawakin-Tofa, Kano Governor Abba Yusuf’s spokesman, to Force Headquarters in Abuja over the suspension in 2024 of Abdullahi Ganduje from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his ward.
The invitation is a carry over from Egbetokun’s efforts in December last year when he deployed 40 detectives to hunt for Yusuf who failed to arrest him over his historical fight with Ganduje for control of their common political turf, with eyes on the 2027 election.
Ganduje, now APC National Chairman, is popular in his Kano ward, in a state where he once governed.
The police believe Dawakin-Tofa played a major role in orchestrating the drama that culminated with Ganduje’s temporary removal by APC executives in his ward.
Egbetokun, in an official letter dated May 23, asked the Kano Government to release Dawakin-Tofa for questioning.
The letter, signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorede on behalf of the IGP, claimed Dawakin-Tofa is being investigated for criminal defamation, impersonation, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
The police asked him to appear on May 29 before Superintendent Mojirode Obisiji at Force Headquarters.
This not the first time the police have gone after Dawakin-Tofa.
In December 2024, a similar invitation was issued over the same matter, which triggered a legal battle between the police and the Kano Government.
At the heart of the saga is a long-standing political feud between Ganduje and Dawakin-Tofa, both of whom hail from the same area in Kano.
Their rivalry stretches back to 2015 when Ganduje, then Governor-elect, allegedly ordered Dawakin-Tofa’s arrest over his opposition during that year’s election.
In 2024, Ganduje was suspended by the APC executive committee in his ward, a move the party later disowned, but one that stirred massive political ripples.
Fingers immediately pointed at Dawakin-Tofa, with Ganduje accusing him of plotting the thing to crush him (Ganduje) in his native city.
Dawakin-Tofa secured a court order shielding him from police arrest, detention, or harassment over the invitation last year.
That injunction covered the IGP, DSS, Civil Defence, and senior police officers involved in the case. However, that legal protection has not stopped the latest police invite.
His legal team has since appealed a ruling by a Kano High Court that dismissed his suit against Ganduje and the police, hoping the Court of Appeal will offer relief.
The political tension in Kano is getting deeper with the 2027 general elections on the horizon.
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