The national leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared his willingness to reconcile with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf following their high-profile political fallout.
Speaking during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Kwankwaso stated that he harbours no personal animosity towards Governor Yusuf and remains open to forgiving his long-time political protégé if the governor chooses to return.
Governor Yusuf, a central figure in the Kwankwasiyya Movement who served as Kwankwaso’s close aide for nearly four decades, won the 2023 Kano governorship election under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). However, relations between the mentor and protégé became strained after Governor Yusuf defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kwankwaso clarified that he neither pushed Governor Yusuf out of the political fold nor instructed him to change his political affiliation.
“I didn’t abandon him, didn’t ask him to go or dismiss him. I still like him,” Kwankwaso stated. “I still love Abba and I didn’t reject him; he is the one who left. So, not just Abba, if anyone who left comes back, I won’t be unforgiving.”
Kwankwaso, who is currently the running mate to Peter Obi under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), compared the rift to his past political disputes with former Kano Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, noting that political leaders must maintain open hearts and show compassion.
Highlighting the Kwankwasiyya Movement’s role in the 2023 elections, Kwankwaso emphasised that candidates under the movement were given mandates based on political consensus without financial demands or the commercialisation of nomination tickets.
“You don’t expect everybody to act, behave or think like you do, because everyone has his way of reasoning, age, background and educational qualifications,” Kwankwaso remarked. “We don’t ask for a dime from each of them to get our endorsement and tickets; we don’t sell our candidature.”
NAN
