NIGERIA: Kwankwaso Open To Reconciliation With Kano Governor Abba Yusuf

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Former Kano State Governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has said he remains willing to forgive and reconcile with Governor Abba Yusuf despite their current political differences.

 Kwankwaso, the national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, stated that his affection for his former protégé has not diminished and the door to reconciliation is still open.

The relationship between the two politicians deteriorated after Governor Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), on whose platform he won the 2023 governorship election, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Kwankwaso himself has since left the NNPP for the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

In an interview aired by BBC Hausa on Monday, Kwankwaso said he did not reject Yusuf, stressing that it was the governor who chose to leave the political fold.

“I still love Abba, and I didn’t reject him. He is the one that left. So, not just Abba, if anyone who left comes back, I won’t be unforgiving,” he said.

He drew parallels with his past political relationship with former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, noting that they had several fallouts but always reconciled.

 Kwankwaso argued that Yusuf’s electoral victory was largely due to the strength and support of the Kwankwasiyya movement, which deliberately fielded him in 2023 to demonstrate its influence.

“As a leader, you need to have an open heart. You can not force people to think the way you do because we all come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives. Without forgiveness, we would not have come this far,” Kwankwaso added.

The former governor emphasised the need for tolerance and forgiveness in politics, saying leaders must accept differing opinions.

His comments signal a possible thaw in the rift that has divided the Kwankwasiyya movement in Kano State following the series of defections.