Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf has transmitted the name of Murtala Sule Garo to the Kano State House of Assembly for screening and confirmation as the new deputy governor, filling a vacancy created by the resignation and defection of Aminu Gwarzo who departed office on March 27, 2026, following a bitter and public political fallout with the governor.
The nomination immediately attracted attention given that Garo is the son-in-law of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, deepening the political ties between the Kano State government and one of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition figures at a critical moment in the country’s political realignment ahead of 2027.
Gwarzo’s exit had followed a turbulent period in which the Kano State House of Assembly initiated impeachment proceedings against him, citing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, breach of public trust, and financial malfeasance. After he resigned, Governor Yusuf publicly alleged that Gwarzo had been plotting to remove him from office.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammad, the governor said the nomination was made under Section 191(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which empowered a governor to nominate a deputy governor when a vacancy existed, subject to confirmation by the state legislature.
Muhammad described Garo as a seasoned political administrator with more than two decades of experience in both elective and appointed positions. His career included service as State Organizing Secretary of his party, Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor, elected Chairman of Kabo Local Government Area, Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in Kano, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and Deputy Governorship Candidate of the APC in the 2023 general election.
The governor described the nomination as part of efforts to strengthen governance, ensure continuity in administration, and sustain effective service delivery across the state.
