FORMER Kano State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, says he is willing to forgive and reconcile with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf despite their political fallout.
Kwankwaso reportedly made the comment in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, which he shared on his verified social media account on Saturday.
The former governor said he had not abandoned Yusuf, adding that he still had affection for the Kano governor.
“I didn’t abandon him, didn’t ask him to go or dismiss him, I still like him,” Kwankwaso said.
The statement comes months after a major political split between the two men following Yusuf’s defection from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf, who had been closely associated with Kwankwaso and the Kwankwasiyya Movement, won the 2023 Kano governorship election on the NNPP platform with Kwankwaso’s backing. He polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat the APC candidate in the election.
The relationship between the two politicians later deteriorated as tensions grew over Yusuf’s political direction and his eventual decision to leave the NNPP.
On January 26, 2026, Yusuf formally joined the APC alongside 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly and nine members of the House of Representatives.
At the defection ceremony, Yusuf said the move followed consultations with stakeholders and was aimed at strengthening governance and accelerating development in the state.
The defection marked a sharp break with Kwankwaso, who had opposed Yusuf’s move to the APC. The NNPP subsequently described the governor’s departure as a betrayal of the party and the political movement that helped bring him to power.
Before the split, Yusuf had publicly denied having a disagreement with Kwankwaso. In 2025, he described his relationship with the former governor as strong and said attempts to create a quarrel between them would not succeed.
Speaking about reconciliation, Kwankwaso said he was not a vindictive person and had previously forgiven people with whom he had political disagreements.
He cited his relationship with former Kano governor Abdullahi Ganduje as an example.
“How many times did I have issues with Ganduje? He challenged me on several occasions,” he said, recalling that Ganduje served as his special assistant while he was at the Ministry of Defence in 2007.
Kwankwaso said that despite their disagreements, he later supported Ganduje’s political rise.
“So, if I am not forgiving, we will not put Ganduje forward, the situation is the same with Yusuf,” he said.
He added that he did not consider himself a political leader who dictates to others, saying people have different backgrounds, experiences and ways of reasoning.
“I’m not God. So, if Yusuf or whoever wishes to come, you need to have patience, have a large heart and compassion because not all will play along your line,” he said.
Kwankwaso also said political support should not be interpreted as a transaction, insisting that he did not demand money from people before supporting their political ambitions.
“We don’t ask for a dime from each of them to get our endorsement and tickets; we don’t sell our candidature,” he said.
Kwankwaso and Yusuf’s political relationship dates back decades, with Yusuf emerging as one of the prominent figures around the Kwankwasiyya political movement before becoming governor.
Following his defection, Kwankwaso also left the NNPP and joined the NDC in May 2026 alongside Peter Obi. Obi was subsequently adopted as the NDC’s presidential candidate, with Kwankwaso as his running mate for the 2027 election.
The political realignment has placed Kwankwaso and Yusuf on opposing sides ahead of the 2027 elections.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M