The group told the candidates to ensure their children and wards and those of their commissioners attend public schools in Nigeria if they win the election.
A Northern group under the aegis of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State chapter has warned governorship candidates of various political parties in the state against making what it described as unguarded utterances as they carry out their election campaign of the 2023 general elections.
The group told the candidates to ensure their children and wards and those of their commissioners attend public schools in Nigeria if they win the election.
Also according to the ACF, the next governor, deputy governor and commissioners should not go abroad for medical treatments, so that they can be motivated to improve the healthcare at home.
The chairman of the Forum, Dr Goni Faruk Umar, gave the warning on Sunday in Kano, the state capital, during an interactive session with governorship candidates to reduce rising tensions.
In a statement issued on Monday by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim, the Forum also tasked the governorship candidates to encourage local government autonomy.
The statement noted that the chairman of the Forum pointed out that the interactive session was organised to know what the candidates intend to do when they are elected.
Umar said, "Part of what we have told them is that we would like them to state that when they win election, they will not interfere with the allocations of the various local governments we have.
"We asked them to lead by example and make sure none of their children or those of their commissioners go abroad for education, they should ensure that they attend public schools in order to know the problems of the education sector and solve them.
"We do not expect any governor, his deputy or commissioners to go abroad for treatment. They should ensure that they improve the health sector so that everybody can get access to good healthcare.
"We have also called on them to ensure that there is no thuggery in their campaigns so that we will have peaceful campaigns and elections and they have signed an undertaking that they will not use thugs in their campaigns."
Also, the Forum made a case for Almajiris (street urchins) and victims of drug abuse and demanded genuine plans from the candidates on how to tackle the problems.
Speaking during the interactive session, the chairman of the session, Kamilu Fagge, said they are worried by recent political events in the state.
Fagge said, "As elders who are shouldered whether we like or not with the responsibilities of ensuring peace, we cannot fold our arms and allow the unfortunate happenings in the political circle in Kano."
In response, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) deputy governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam, said, "We cannot sign any peace accord when clearly some people are allowed to misbehave and continue to cause tension among Kano citizens, we can only commit ourselves where we see things are done rightly (sic) without prejudice to the laws."
The Forum noted that the Kano political atmosphere is getting heated as the NNPP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seem to be at loggerheads.
Recently, the state chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Abbas, was said to have been caught on tape saying his party would win the election by hook or crook.
Meanwhile, candidates who appeared before the ACF executives in Kano include Ibrahim Khalil of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bashir Bashir of the Labour Party (LP), Sadiq Wali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Shaaban Sharada of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Salihu Tanko-Yakasai of the People Redemption Party (PRP) and Ibrahim Sani of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).