Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 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 Kano State. He made the remarks during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Abuja, where he reflected on the fate of former members of his political family who had since broken ranks with him.
Betrayal Leads to Political Oblivion
Kwankwaso 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.
He reserved his sharpest words for Ganduje, who served as his deputy governor for eight years before succeeding him as governor in 2015. Kwankwaso 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,” he said.
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.
Kwankwaso Recalls Tinubu’s Advice
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 interview was reported by The Punch and Leadership, with Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf covering the story. Kwankwaso’s statements come amid ongoing political realignments in Kano State, where his influence remains significant. The impact of his declarations on the political fortunes of the named politicians remains to be seen.
