The Facebook Post That Cost Maryam Shetty Her Ministerial Appointment

Exhumed Facebook posts from three years ago where Maryam Shettima, otherwise known as Maryam Shetty, criticised former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, may have led to the withdrawal of her recent ministerial nomination by President Bola Tinubu.

Shetty’s excitement over her ministerial appointment was short-lived. President Tinubu had withdrawn the nomination barely 24 hours after it was sent to the Senate for confirmation.

Mariya Mahmud, a former Commissioner for Higher Education under Ganduje’s administration, was named as Shetty’s replacement.

The former nominee was said to have arrived at the Senate awaiting to be screened when the news of her removal reached her.

The 3-year-old social media rant against Ganduje seems to provide insight into why the former Kano governor, who is now the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), allegedly kicked against the 33-year-old’s nomination as minister.

The posts, dated March 9, 2020, saw Shetty lambasting Ganduje for his alleged involvement in bribery scandals.

“Whatever was set to achieve, it (the throne) still remains within the family; as for Gandollar he will be remembered forever by the stacks of dollars he brazenly and shamelessly pocketed…nothing will ever erase that. Sipping coffee

“End of an era, the Gandollar Government will forever be remembered for this. I believe we haven’t seen the last of SLS (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) …”

The posts were made in the wake of journalist Jafar Jafar’s release of videos in 2018, purportedly showing Ganduje accepting stacks of dollar bills in what was portrayed as bribe payments from contractors.

The scandal had led to Ganduje being derisively referred to as ‘Gandollar’ on social media, a moniker that stuck despite his vehement denials and claims of video manipulation.

However, it’s Shetty’s connection to the controversy that appears to have now come back to haunt her.

On the same day she made the critical Facebook posts, her uncle, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, then Emir of Kano, had been controversially dethroned by Governor Ganduje.

While the governor’s administration maintained that the removal was carried out due to Sanusi’s alleged insubordination and disregard for traditional norms, many believed it was a political maneuver to consolidate power.

As the news of Shetty’s removal as ministerial nomination spread, she issued a statement saying “To some, this could seem like a setback, but my faith as a devout Muslim guided my understanding.”

Shetty added, “I saw it as the divine will of Allah, who I believe grants power as He wishes, when He wishes. His plans are always superior to ours.”

Meanwhile, Ganduje, in a radio interview on Sunday, claimed that Shetty was smuggled into the ministerial list, saying President Tinubu was unaware of how she made it to the list.

“In the selection of ministerial nominees, the president has people that are giving him advice across States, and the president has the power to nominate whoever he likes, and he also has the power to make consultations on the persons he had chosen to serve in his cabinet from the people of that particular state,” Premium Times quoted Ganduje as saying in the radio interview.

“You know, in a palace (presidency), some people claimed to know much about something, but they did not; we just saw Ms Shetty’s name like any other Nigerian; we are followers of the president, we are careful, we did not challenge the choice of Ms Shetty because we did not know much about her personality and capabilities to deliver on the job that makes us remain mum.

“But problems started when her social media post started to cause a stir. Social media always kept a record of what you and what you have even forgot you posted. People on social media started challenging her personality in representing the people of Kano and her capability for the job. This brings about the problem.

“This is how the issue came around. I am not involved in it the president was disturbed about it, and he later contacted me and asked whether I nominated her (Ms Shetty). I said no, and he queried how she was nominated.

“I do not have the monopoly of knowing Kano better, People from Kano can advise the President on the nomination, but we ought to have consulted for such an appointment.”