The national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed a willingness to reconcile with his former protégé, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. Despite the deep political rift caused by recent defections, Kwankwaso maintained that his personal affection for the Governor remains intact.
The relationship between the two political heavyweights, which once served as the backbone of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano, soured significantly after Governor Yusuf defected from the NNPP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This move followed Kwankwaso’s own transition from the NNPP to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), leading to a fractured political base in the state.
I Still Love Abba
In an interview with BBC Hausa on Monday, Kwankwaso adopted a conciliatory tone, insisting that the door to political realignment is never permanently shut. He clarified that the distance between them was a result of the Governor’s choice, rather than a rejection from the Kwankwasiyya leadership.
“I still love Abba and I didn’t reject him; he is the one that left,” Kwankwaso said. “The door to reconciliation remains open. If anyone who left decides to return, I will not be unforgiving. In politics, interests shift. Look at [Abdullahi] Ganduje; in the many years we worked together, we fell out several times and got back together. That is simply how the game of politics works.”
The Strength of the Movement
Addressing the narrative surrounding the 2023 elections, Kwankwaso argued that Governor Yusuf’s victory was a testament to the organizational prowess of the Kwankwasiyya movement rather than an individual feat. He dismissed suggestions that the Governor defected to the APC out of fear of losing his seat through judicial or political pressure.
“We picked Abba to contest under the NNPP and we won, but he chose to join the very people we defeated,” Kwankwaso remarked. “Some say he did so because he feared losing his position, but he knows there was no way we would have been defeated in Kano. If we were beatable, we would have lost when he originally contested under our party.”
In a revealing commentary on the internal dynamics of the movement, Kwankwaso disclosed that Yusuf’s emergence as the candidate in 2023 was a strategic “test” of the movement’s influence.
“We did not choose him because he was the most senior or the most educated among the aspirants. We chose him because we wanted to test the strength and calibre of the Kwankwasiyya movement at that time. We proved that the movement could deliver anyone it supported,” he added.
A Lesson in Tolerance
Closing the interview with a reflection on leadership, the former Minister of Defence emphasized that political maturity requires the ability to tolerate dissent and embrace forgiveness. He noted that a rigid approach to leadership often leads to isolation.
“As a leader, you need to have an open heart,” Kwankwaso stated. “You cannot force people to think exactly the way you do because we all come from different backgrounds and hold different perspectives. Without a spirit of forgiveness, our movement would not have come this far or remained this resilient.”
While Governor Yusuf has yet to formally respond to these overtures, Kwankwaso’s comments have sparked intense speculation in Kano regarding a potential realignment of forces ahead of the 2027 general elections. For now, the “Red Cap” movement remains in a state of flux as it watches the body language of its former “Golden Boy” in the Government House.
