Gawuna quits Federal Mortgage Bank board to focus on 2027 Kano governorship race

A FORMER deputy governor of Kano State, Mr Nasiru Gawuna, has resigned as chairman of the board of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), as he prepares to contest the 2027 governorship election.

In a letter dated March 27 and addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Gawuna said his decision was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive requiring political appointees with electoral ambitions to step down.

He thanked the president for the opportunity to serve, noting that the appointments entrusted to him reflected a high level of confidence in his capacity.

“I am deeply grateful to His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for the immense trust he placed in me by appointing me as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Bayero University, Kano, and subsequently as Chairman of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria,” the letter read.

He added that it was an honour to contribute to national development in those roles, stressing that his resignation fully complies with the Electoral Act and the president’s directive.

READ ALSO: Inside Federal Mortgage Bank’s years of financial haemorrhaging

Gawuna’s media aide, Abubakar Musa, said in a Facebook post that his principal stepped down to concentrate on his governorship ambition in Kano.

Gawuna was appointed chairman of the FMBN board in January 2025 by President Tinubu. He previously served as Kano deputy governor under Abdullahi Ganduje, after being sworn in September 2018 following the resignation of Hafiz Abubakar. Before then, he was the state commissioner for agriculture.

He contested the 2023 Kano governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost to Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Yusuf has since defected to the APC.

There are also speculations that Gawuna may join the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as part of moves to align with former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The resignation comes as President Tinubu directed all political appointees seeking elective offices in the 2027 elections to resign on or before March 31.