I Will Forgive Gov. Yusuf If… Kwankwaso
By Akanni Toba
The national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has stated the condition that can make him forgive his erstwhile political protegé and the incumbent governor of Kano State, Abba Kabiru Yusuf.
Kwankwaso noted that he has not shut the door of reconciliation against Yusuf, adding that his affection for the Kano helmsman remains fervent.
He noted that despite their political differences Yusuf will be welcomed back to the Kwankwasiyya movement if he returns of his own volition.
The former Kano governor disclosed this in an interview with BBC Hausa on Monday.
“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. Look at Ganduje, in the many years we worked together, we fell out several times and got back together. That is how politics works,” Kwankwaso said.
The rosy relationship between Yusuf and Kwankwaso turned sour following the defection of the former to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Yusuf’s decision caused a rift between him and members of the influential Kwankwasiyya movement on whose influence he rode to power in 2023.
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Reacting to his political son’s defection, Kwankwaso reaffirmed the clout of the Kwankwasiyya movement in Kano politics, adding that there’s no way anyone backed by the movement in Kano will lose an election.
Kwankwaso has been picked by the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, as running mate for the 2027 general elections.
The NDC’s Vice Presidential candidate stressed that if Yusuf’s defection was prompted by fear, then his fear was baseless.
“We picked Abba to contest under the NNPP and we won, but he left to join the people we defeated. 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 that were the case, we would have lost when he contested under our party,” he stated.
The former governor further explained that the movement intentionally fielded Yusuf in 2023 to demonstrate its political influence.
“We did not choose him because he was the most senior or the most educated. We chose him because we wanted to test the strength and calibre of the Kwankwasiyya movement at that time,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of tolerance in leadership, Kwankwaso said leaders must accept differing opinions and embrace forgiveness.
“As a leader, you need to have an open heart. You cannot 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,” he added.
