Inside Story of How Kano Governor Abba, Kwankwaso Fell Out After 40 Years
- Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his long-time political mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, are locked in a growing political rift
- The crisis intensified following Yusuf’s rumoured defection from the NNPP to the APC, a move sources say is aimed at securing his political future ahead of 2027
- The fallout has further destabilised the NNPP in Kano, splitting the party into factions and reopening debates about godfatherism in Nigerian politics
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Confusion and realignments have emerged in Kano State politics as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf appears to be drifting apart from his long-time political mentor and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
The development marks a significant rupture in a relationship that spans over four decades and has been central to Kano’s political power structure in recent years.
Source: Facebook
As reported by Daily Trust, Governor Yusuf and Kwankwaso’s political association dates back to the 1980s when both men worked as civil engineers at the Water Resources and Engineering Construction Agency (WRECA). Over the years, their bond deepened beyond professional ties into politics, family relations, and party structures.
Until recently, Yusuf was widely regarded as one of Kwankwaso’s most loyal protégés. Popularly known as “Abba PA, he served as Kwankwaso’s personal assistant for many years and later became an in-law of the former governor.
When Kwankwaso left WRECA to pursue a political career, Yusuf followed. During Kwankwaso’s first tenure as Kano State governor between 1999 and 2003, Yusuf served as his personal assistant. He retained that role when Kwankwaso was appointed Minister of Defence under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Upon Kwankwaso’s return as governor in 2011, Yusuf rose further in government, serving as Principal Private Secretary and later Commissioner for Works, one of the most influential ministries in the state.
After Kwankwaso left office in 2015, Yusuf remained close, serving as his private secretary. In 2019, Kwankwaso handpicked Yusuf as the governorship candidate of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, although he narrowly lost that election.
In 2023, with Kwankwaso’s backing, Yusuf successfully emerged as governor under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Beginning of the fallout
However, multiple sources familiar with the developments told Weekend Trust that the relationship has now come under severe strain, largely due to disagreements over power, loyalty, and political control.
According to the sources, the crisis reflects a familiar pattern in Nigerian politics: a godfather expecting continued loyalty and influence, and a godson asserting independence after attaining office.
The rift reportedly became public this week following confirmation by aides close to Governor Yusuf that he plans to defect from the NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The move, sources said, was taken without the endorsement of Kwankwaso, who allegedly expressed displeasure over the decision.
The announcement reportedly threw the Kwankwasiyya Movement into confusion, with insiders saying the former governor felt sidelined and inadequately consulted.
Sources disclosed that Governor Yusuf’s defection is expected to be formally announced on Monday and that the decision is considered irreversible, even if it leads to a complete political break with Kwankwaso.
‘Feud political, not personal’
Sources close to both Governor Yusuf and Senator Kwankwaso said the feud is essentially political rather than personal, insisting it is driven largely by the political survival instincts of both leaders.
“The main issue is that Kwankwaso became disappointed with Governor Yusuf because the level of loyalty he expected is no longer there. He felt he was not enjoying the loyalty he used to,” one of the sources said.
According to the source, Kwankwaso’s disappointment stemmed from the growing independence Yusuf began to assert in governance.
“He thought he would still be treating files and giving approvals. He more or less appointed all the commissioners and heads of agencies at the beginning of the administration, and this influence continued until recently. Even in the appointment of the new anti-corruption boss, the governor wanted to retain Muhuyi, but Kwankwaso opposed it and brought in the current one,” the source, who is familiar with the developments and close to both leaders, said.
A senior NNPP official in Kano, however, offered a less conspiratorial explanation, arguing that the tension reflects differences in leadership style rather than personal animosity.
“There are differences in style and priorities, not necessarily personal animosity,” the official told Weekend Trust, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Kwankwaso believes in strong party discipline and loyalty to the movement’s ideology, while the governor is under pressure to manage government, appease diverse interests and deliver dividends of democracy. That naturally creates friction.”
Despite this public framing, insiders said the divergence in approach soon translated into hard political calculations.
One of the sources said it was largely for this reason that the former governor allegedly mapped out two political scenarios.
Plan to install Gwarzo.
According to the source, the plan to install Gwarzo involved two possible routes.
Observers say the development has reopened old rivalries in Kano politics and reshaped political calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The first was to allow Yusuf to complete his tenure but deny him the ticket for a second term, replacing him with Gwarzo on the ballot since Kwankwaso controls the party structure in Kano and at the national level,” he said.
Those calculations reportedly changed once Yusuf’s defection plans became public.
“That was when Kwankwaso realised that the loyalty of most assembly members had shifted to the governor,” the source said.
He said Kwankwaso initially convened a meeting of assembly stakeholders to prepare for Yusuf’s impeachment. After learning of the planned defection to the APC, he also summoned a meeting of local government chairmen, attended by 27 out of the 44.
“He told them that Governor Yusuf was about to disappoint him and asked them to be ready to disown the governor,” the source said.
Source: Twitter
On the same day, Kwankwaso reportedly invited 27 members of the state assembly to another meeting. About 20 lawmakers, including the speaker, deputy speaker and majority leader, attended.
“All 20 of them told him they were with the governor and intended to defect with him to the APC,” the source said. “With the 20 lawmakers aligned with Yusuf and the 13 APC members, the governor effectively has the support of 33 legislators, making impeachment impossible.”
From Yusuf’s camp, sources said the counter-strategy now being considered is to deploy the same bloc of lawmakers to impeach the deputy governor after the defection, since Gwarzo has reportedly aligned with Kwankwaso and ruled out joining the move to the APC.
Weekend Trust reports that as part of the New Year celebration, the deputy governor had extended felicitations to the two warring parties, a move sources said was deliberate to show his “indifferent posture” for now.
In the message signed by his spokesman, Shuaibu Gwarzo, expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the gift of life and the opportunity to witness another year of peace and progress.
He applauded Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his visionary leadership, commitment to the welfare of citizens, and continued efforts to restore the pride and dignity of Kano State through people-oriented policies and developmental projects.
He equally lauded Senator Kwankwaso for his enduring mentorship, political wisdom and fatherly guidance, which have continued to inspire a new generation of leaders devoted to public service and national development.
The deputy governor reaffirmed the commitment of the present administration to deepening good governance, strengthening grassroots development, and ensuring equitable growth across all sectors in the state.
He called on the people of Kano to remain steadfast, law-abiding, and supportive of the government’s ongoing initiatives aimed at transforming the state.
Comrade Gwarzo prayed for a peaceful and prosperous New Year filled with unity, progress, and blessings for the people of Kano State and Nigeria at large.
Inside the permutations
It was gathered that Governor Yusuf currently enjoys the support of 40 of the 44 local government chairmen in the state, while Kwankwaso controls two, with the remaining yet to take a position. Among members of the House of Representatives from Kano, Kwankwaso is said to have four, while Yusuf controls the remaining nine.
Publicly, however, both leaders have avoided confrontation.
Kwankwaso, through his associates, has repeatedly denied any personal rift with Governor Yusuf. Speaking recently in Kano, Hashim Sulaiman Dungurawa, the NNPP state chairman who was later sacked by loyalists of the governor, said, “The Jagora has absolute confidence in Governor Yusuf. Any talk of fallout is exaggerated and often pushed by external forces.”
Governor Yusuf has also maintained a conciliatory tone. At public events, he has on several occasions described Kwankwaso as “a leader and mentor whose sacrifices made our victory possible, while insisting that his administration remains committed to the ideals of the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
Offering his perspective on the feud, Barrister Muhuyi Magaji, a former chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), said a widely held view of the Yusuf administration is that Kwankwaso has been “unofficially running a third term”.
Now in private legal practice but still close to the governor, Magaji said no elected governor could function effectively without having a say in the political affairs of his administration.
“From my own insight, the governor was not allowed to participate meaningfully in decision-making. He was expected to function as a proxy,” he said. “When they needed something, they came to him. That is not tenable for any governor.”
“The governor had zero input. They were all handpicked by Kwankwaso,” he said, adding that several prominent figures who exited the movement, including Kawu Sumaila and Kofa, were simply told to leave.
Kano’s long tradition of political fallouts
The unfolding drama is hardly new in Kano, a state with a long history of political alliances that have either collapsed or morphed into open rivalry.
During the Second Republic, the alliance between Mallam Aminu Kano and then Governor Abubakar Rimi and some of his protégés fractured, triggering internal splits that weakened the People’s Redemption Party (PRP).
In the Fourth Republic, the once-close relationship between former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his deputy, Abdullahi Ganduje, famously collapsed after their second term together, eventually leading to Ganduje’s strenuous emergence as governor in 2015 under the APC, and a subsequent political parting of ways.
Similarly, former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau fell out with key allies over party control, a rupture that precipitated defections and realignments and reshaped Kano’s political landscape for years.
Crisis further throws NNPP into turmoil.
Meanwhile, the feud between Governor Yusuf and his political godfather has further fractured the NNPP in Kano State, plunging the party deeper into turmoil.
Even before the latest crisis, the NNPP in Kano was already split, with a rival faction loyal to the Agbo Major-led national leadership challenging the legitimacy of the Hashimu Sulaiman Dungurawa-led state executive, which was aligned with Senator Kwankwaso. With the announced expulsion of Dungurawa and the emergence of a new leadership pledging loyalty to Governor Yusuf, the party has effectively splintered into three factions in the state.
A party source said the objective of the new faction is to eventually collapse the NNPP’s entire structure in Kano into the APC once the governor formally announces his defection.
“That structure will eventually move to the APC,” the source said.
Amid the deepening crisis, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the NNPP faction loyal to Kwankwaso dissolved the party’s executive committees at the state, local government and ward levels in Kano State.
The decision followed an emergency meeting of the party’s national leadership in Abuja, according to a statement issued yesterday by the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson.
The statement said the action was taken in line with the provisions of the party’s constitution, adding that the NWC would appoint caretaker committees to oversee the affairs of the party at all levels in Kano State pending further directives.
Kwankwaso makes strong rejection
Legit.ng earlier reported that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and the Kwankasiyya State Caucus, have denied the report and public calls that suggested that the leader of the group or its members are planning to join another political party.
This was disclosed in a communique following an extensive meeting of the movement, which was held at the Amana Hall, Kwankwasiyya House, Miller Road, in Kano on Friday, January 2.
This was signed by the national legal adviser of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the chairman of the Rano Caucus, Magaji Mato.
Kano governor set to join APC
This is coming amid the claim that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano, who has been the only governor of the NNPP and a major ally of Kwankwaso, was set to dump the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The movement of the governor has led to political debate in the state.
Recently, Kwankwaso warned against political betrayal, adding that people of such calibre do not last in politics. At the same time, the rumour that Kwankwaso will also be leaving the NNPP has been intensified.
Source: Legit.ng
