The 2023 governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kaduna State, Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, has said he will reinstate traditional rulers sacked by the current government if he wins.
Recall that the Nasir el-Rufa’i’s administration sacked 313 district heads and 4,453 village heads in June 2017, as part of the restructuring of traditional chiefdoms in the State.
Part of the restructuring, according to the State government, was to reduce the burden of a bloated payroll imposed on local government councils by the continued engagement of the district and village heads.
Addressing a news conference at the weekend in Kaduna, however, Hunkuyi said he would reinstate the village and district heads the moment he gets into office. He said this was because of the critical roles they would play in his government, which he said includes maintaining harmony and ensuring security in communities.
He added that the NNPP would also reverse the recent increase in school fees in state-owned tertiary institutions, stressing that public education institutions were not for profit-making.
He expressed concern over the more than N307 billion debt profile of the state, which he said could be higher with the continued devaluation of the naira against the dollar, adding that if successful at the poll, the NNPP government would reprioritise the State’s budget in order to address growing insecurity in the State.
Hunkuyi expressed optimism that the NNPP would take over power in Kaduna State in 2023, adding that the party was conceived to address existing problems confronting the state and the country. He said that the party provides a platform for all-inclusive governance that would take residents of Kaduna State to a new horizon where all Nigerians live as one.
The governorship candidate added that the NNPP would contest 54 political seats in Kaduna State, from House of Assembly seats to House of Representatives, Senate, and the governorship seats. He identified the seats as 34 State Assembly seats, 16 House of Representatives seats, 3 Senatorial seats, and the governorship and deputy governorship seat.
The candidate further said that the political space in Kaduna was widely open for NNPP to take over in 2023 because of the humane and all-inclusive leadership style of the party, which resonated with the people.
