A Parade of Power: Governor Yusuf’s Bold Rebuke Echoes Through Nigeria
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline Newspaper | October 1, 2025
KANO, NIGERIA – On a day meant to unify a nation, cracks in Nigeria’s federal-state relationship were laid bare under the glaring sun at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, where Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf delivered a blistering rebuke of the state’s Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, for boycotting the 65th Independence Day parade.
In a speech that blended patriotism with pointed political commentary, Governor Yusuf labeled the police’s absence not only a personal affront but a betrayal of national values.
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“This is unethical. This is disloyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Yusuf declared, his voice amplified through loudspeakers that carried his words across the stadium and into the heart of a country grappling with deepening tensions between state and federal institutions.
Thousands of Kano residents had poured into the stadium in festive attire, waving flags and singing patriotic songs in celebration of the nation’s independence from British colonial rule in 1960. Dancers in traditional Hausa garb twirled alongside schoolchildren holding banners of unity and peace. But the glaring absence of the Nigeria Police Force — typically a centerpiece of the ceremonial parade — quickly became impossible to ignore.
The governor accused Commissioner Bakori of acting on political motivations — a stinging indictment at a time when security neutrality remains a cornerstone of Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
“Security agencies, in Kano in particular, shouldn’t be involving themselves in partisan politics, which will do no good to all of us in Kano State and in Nigeria of course,” Yusuf said.
This incident has reignited longstanding debates around the autonomy of state governors, who are designated as “Chief Security Officers” in their states, yet have no real authority over police commissioners who are appointed and answerable to the federal government in Abuja.
As news of the boycott spreads, civil society groups, legal analysts, and former police officials have begun to weigh in on the constitutional gray area that allows such tension to fester.
When reached for comment, Commissioner Ibrahim Adamu Bakori offered no detailed explanation, saying only, “I am on a condolence visit, I will call you back later.” No further statement had been issued from the police command by press time.
