Kwankwaso Mentions Ganduje, 2 Other Influential Kano Politicians as 'Finished', List Emerges
- Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso declared three prominent Kano politicians politically finished after they broke from his camp
- Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview on Sunday, August 16, 2026, targeting former allies turned rivals
- The NDC vice-presidential candidate also recalled a conversation with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu about political betrayal and its consequences
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Kano, Kano state - Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, has declared that former Kano governors, Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Ganduje, as well as incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf, are no longer politically relevant in the state.
As reported by The Punch, Kwankwaso made the remarks during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series on Sunday, August 16, in Abuja, where he reflected on the fate of former members of his political family who had since broken ranks with him.
Source: Twitter
Betrayal leads to political oblivion, Kwankwaso says
Leadership also noted Kwankwaso's jibe at his political opponents.
The ex-senator argued that no political career built on betrayal could survive, drawing on what he described as two and a half decades of political experience in Kano.
"You cannot succeed with treachery. I have not seen one. Now we have taken about two and a half decades. If I ask you, I'm sure you don't know; he is going into oblivion politically. He is nowhere," he said, referring to a former associate without naming him at that point.
Kwankwaso reserved his sharpest words for Ganduje, who served as his deputy governor for eight years before succeeding him as governor in 2015. He said Ganduje's political standing has collapsed as a direct result of turning against the structure that brought him to power.
"If you can even see the issue of Ganduje, who we came together and supported, and became governor free of charge. The day when he started fighting was the beginning of his problem. If I may ask: where is he now? It is difficult to see him," Kwankwaso said.
Kano: Kwankwaso tackles Abba Yusuf
Furthermore, Kwankwaso turned his attention to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, whom he said his political camp carefully selected in 2019 precisely to avoid a repeat of what Ganduje had done.
He said the same political structure mobilised again in 2023 to secure Yusuf's victory as governor, but that Yusuf has since distanced himself from those who made his emergence possible.
"He left us, but he is not with Ganduje now. He is in-between because I don't think he is happy for anybody to call him Dan Gandujiyya," Kwankwaso said.
He claimed that Yusuf's association with Ganduje had created further political difficulties for the governor.
Source: Twitter
Kwankwaso also recalled a conversation with President Bola Tinubu, in which the current Nigerian leader urged him to reconcile with Ganduje. He said he responded by pointing to politicians who were once close to Tinubu but had since faded from prominence, citing former Lagos Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as examples.
"I told him that when I come here, I don't see Bucknor. When I come here, I don't see Ambode. I started counting the people," he said.
He singled out former Osun Governor Bisi Akande as one of the few political figures he still considered a genuine friend, describing lasting political friendships as rare.
The Kano politicians Kwankwaso criticised are listed below:
- Ibrahim Shekarau
- Abba Kabir Yusuf
- Abdullahi Umar Ganduje
Read more Kano news
- Kano Hisbah arrests masquerader, 20 others in fresh night raid
- Kano farmers decry Tinubu's govt’s neglect: "Fertilisers are too expensive"
Kano: Shekarau loses brother
Legit.ng earlier reported that Senator Shekarau lost his brother, Dahiru. Family sources confirmed the passing of the retired permanent secretary (PS).
Late Dahiru was a respected figure in the state’s public service and the senior brother of Senator Shekarau.
Source: Legit.ng
