The political crisis in Kano State has intensified as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has summoned Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, spokesperson to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, to appear at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The police invitation, dated May 23, 2025, is linked to the controversial 2024 suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, a major political figure in the state.
According to the police, Dawakin-Tofa allegedly played a key role in the events that led to Ganduje’s temporary removal by his ward’s APC executives—a development that sparked widespread political controversy.
In the official letter signed by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Akin Fakorede, the IGP directed the Kano State Government to release Dawakin-Tofa for questioning over allegations of criminal defamation, impersonation, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace. The spokesperson has been ordered to report on May 29 before SP Mojirode B. Obisiji at the Force Headquarters.
This is not the first police action against Dawakin-Tofa. In December 2024, a similar invitation was issued in connection with the same matter, resulting in a legal dispute between the police and the Kano State Government.
The standoff stems from a protracted political rivalry between Ganduje and Dawakin-Tofa, both natives of the same area in Kano. Their feud dates back to 2015 when Ganduje, then governor-elect, reportedly ordered Dawakin-Tofa’s arrest for opposing him during that year’s elections.
Ganduje’s 2024 suspension by the APC executive committee in his ward—which was later disowned by the party’s national leadership—sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape. Ganduje accused Dawakin-Tofa of masterminding the move as part of a plot to undermine his political influence in Kano.
In response to the 2024 police action, Dawakin-Tofa obtained a court order restraining the police, Department of State Services (DSS), Civil Defence, and other security agencies from arresting or harassing him. However, the fresh police summons appears to bypass that legal protection.
Meanwhile, Dawakin-Tofa’s legal team has appealed a recent Kano High Court ruling that dismissed his suit against Ganduje and the police, expressing hope for a favourable decision at the Court of Appeal.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the political temperature in Kano continues to rise amid the unresolved conflict.
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