By Nworisa Michael
Residents and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kano South Senatorial District have reportedly rejected five bags of rice said to have been donated by their representative in the Senate, Kawu Sumaila, describing the gesture as inadequate.
In a video circulated online and cited by SaharaReporters, community members and party officials were seen openly criticising the senator while speaking in Hausa and asking his representatives to retrieve the donated rice.
According to the residents, many of whom identified themselves as APC supporters, they were disappointed with the quantity of the donation, claiming that the lawmaker had neglected the people despite the massive electoral support he received from the district.
During the gathering, a councillor who spoke on behalf of the party leadership in the area said the position expressed reflected the collective sentiment of APC members in the community.
“On behalf of the entire leadership of the party and members within this APC party, who are together with His Excellency, Governor Engineer Abubakar Yusuf, we want to confirm that we appreciate the gift that Kawu Sumaila gave us; five bags of rice,” the councillor said.
“We are grateful. Thank you very much. May God reward you. Please come and take it and go and give it to Sumaila. Although we know that what was given cannot be enough for them, so come and take this and give it to your people.”
Another resident who spoke during the gathering accused the senator of abandoning the people who supported his election.
“Regarding what the councillor said earlier about the rice that Kawu had already distributed, we want to tell him this: for the sake of our rights and what has happened, we voted for him, yet he is now making us suffer,” the resident said.
The speaker further declared that the community was rejecting the donation outright.
“And the rice he brought and distributed; we do not want it,” he added.
He also warned that the people would respond politically to the senator’s actions in the future.
“Therefore, his representative should come and take back the rice. As for what he has done to us, God willing, politically we will respond to him for what he has done,” the resident said.
The development has sparked reactions online, as residents expressed frustration over economic hardship and the level of support they expect from their elected representatives.
