Kano Senator Dismisses Rejection of Ramadan Rice as Political Smear

Senator Abdurrahman Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, who represents Kano South Senatorial District, has dismissed claims that some constituents rejected his Ramadan rice donation, describing the incident as a politically motivated attempt to tarnish his reputation.

A video that recently went viral on social media showed a group of politicians returning five bags of rice they claimed were donated by the senator for distribution in Albasu Local Government Area of Kano State.

The group alleged that the five bags were meant to serve the entire local government area, a claim that sparked reactions online.

Responding to the development, Senator Sumaila said the allegation was misleading and insisted that far larger quantities of rice had been distributed across the district.

According to him, each of the local government areas in the district received about 500 bags of rice as part of the Ramadan support package.

In addition to the allocations to LGAs, we also supported various groups and individuals. Altogether, nearly 15,000 bags were distributed, the senator said.

He suggested that the issue may have arisen from a breakdown in the distribution chain.

Someone must have short-changed them along the way. Instead of resolving it quietly, they chose to take it to the press in an attempt to blackmail us,  he added.

Despite the controversy, Sumaila said the incident would not discourage him from continuing to support his constituents. When you work with people, situations like this can occur. It will not stop us from carrying out welfare programmes for the people, he said.