Politics
Kwankwaso: Shekarau, Ganduje, Abba Yusuf ‘politically finished’ in Kano
The vice-presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 general election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that former Kano State governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Ganduje, as well as incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf, have lost significant political influence in the state.
Kwankwaso made the claim while reflecting on his political relationships with former allies and the evolution of political movements in Kano over the past two decades.
Speaking during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Sunday, the former Kano governor argued that political careers built through what he described as betrayal and “treachery” could not be sustained indefinitely.
He maintained that politicians who abandoned the structures and relationships that helped them rise to prominence would eventually lose their political relevance.
Kwankwaso links political decline to ‘treachery’
Kwankwaso, who has remained one of the most influential political figures in Kano, said his experience over roughly 25 years had convinced him that politicians who turned against their former allies eventually faced political decline.
“You cannot succeed with treachery. I have not seen one. Now we have taken about two and a half decades,” he said.
The former governor suggested that some of his former associates who once occupied prominent political positions had gradually slipped into what he described as political oblivion.
He said the political fortunes of several individuals who had benefited from his political structure subsequently declined after their relationships with him deteriorated.
Ganduje’s political career under criticism
Kwankwaso’s strongest criticism was directed at his former deputy, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Ganduje served as Kwankwaso’s deputy governor for eight years before succeeding him as governor in 2015 under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The relationship between the two men later deteriorated sharply, with Ganduje emerging as the leader of a rival political structure in Kano.
Kwankwaso argued that Ganduje’s political fortunes would have been different had he remained within the political structure they built together.
“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.
According to Kwankwaso, Ganduje could have maintained greater political influence in Kano and beyond if he had remained committed to the political alliance that initially propelled him to power.
His comments come after years of political rivalry between the two former governors, whose camps have competed for control of Kano’s political machinery.
Ganduje later became national chairman of the APC, a position that placed him at the centre of the ruling party’s national political structure. His tenure, however, was later cut short by his resignation from the position.
‘We picked Abba Yusuf to avoid another Ganduje’
Kwankwaso also criticised Governor Abba Yusuf, whom he personally backed for the Kano governorship.
He said Yusuf was selected partly because members of his political movement wanted to avoid a repeat of what they regarded as the political rupture that occurred between Kwankwaso and Ganduje.
“Abba Yusuf: we went down, right down, to make sure that we picked the right person who would not go and repeat what Ganduje had done,” Kwankwaso said.
He recalled that members of his political group worked extensively to position Yusuf for the governorship contest.
According to him, Yusuf first contested the Kano governorship election in 2019, when he defeated the APC candidate in the initial result before the outcome was subsequently overturned through litigation.
The political structure regrouped ahead of the 2023 election, when Yusuf again contested and eventually emerged governor.
Kwankwaso said the victory was achieved despite attempts to deploy political strategies similar to those that had been used against the political movement previously.
Kwankwaso says Yusuf has distanced himself
The former governor, however, said his relationship with Yusuf had also changed since the governor assumed office.
Kwankwaso accused Yusuf of distancing himself from the political structure that facilitated his emergence as governor.
“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,” he said.
Kwankwaso suggested that Yusuf’s political positioning had become complicated because of his relationship with different factions within Kano’s political establishment.
His comments reflect the continuing struggle over political control in Kano, one of Nigeria’s most electorally significant states and a major battleground ahead of the 2027 elections.
Kano remains crucial to 2027 calculations
Kano’s political importance makes the comments particularly significant.
The state has one of Nigeria’s largest voting populations and has historically played a major role in determining the strength of presidential and governorship candidates in the North.
Kwankwaso himself has built a powerful political identity in the state through the Kwankwassiyya movement, which has maintained a strong grassroots following over the years.
The former governor’s political influence was again demonstrated during the 2023 elections, when his New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) secured the Kano governorship and Kwankwaso emerged as a major presidential candidate.
His decision to contest the 2027 election on the NDC platform alongside Peter Obi has added another layer to the political calculations surrounding Kano and the wider North.
The emerging political contest is therefore not simply about individual candidates. It is also about competing political structures and their ability to mobilise voters across Kano and other northern states.
A warning to former allies
Kwankwaso’s latest comments also reveal how deeply political loyalty remains intertwined with the structures he has built over the years.
His argument is that political office alone does not guarantee enduring influence, particularly where politicians abandon the alliances that helped them achieve power.
For Ganduje, Shekarau and Yusuf, however, the political landscape remains more complex than Kwankwaso’s assessment suggests.
All three have independently occupied influential positions in Kano politics, while their political networks and relationships extend beyond their former association with Kwankwaso.
Whether they are indeed facing the political decline predicted by Kwankwaso will ultimately be determined by their ability to retain political relevance, build alliances and mobilise voters as the 2027 election approaches.
With political parties already repositioning ahead of the next general election, Kano is expected to remain one of the most closely watched political theatres in Nigeria.
And Kwankwaso’s latest intervention makes clear that the battle for influence in the state is far from over.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has appointed a former member of the House of Representatives and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mashood Mustapha, as the Ameerul Hajj for the state’s 2027 Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Mustapha, the Wakili of the Ilorin Emirate, is expected to lead and coordinate Kwara’s delegation for the pilgrimage and work with relevant government agencies and statutory bodies involved in organising and administering the annual Hajj exercise.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mashood Agboola, in Ilorin.
According to the statement, the appointment is part of the state government’s preparations for the 2027 Hajj exercise.
“The Ameerul Hajj will coordinate the state’s 2027 Hajj exercise along with other statutory bodies at various levels of government,” the statement said.
The state government described Mustapha as a seasoned entrepreneur, public servant and community leader. He is also the Chairman of Crystal Group of Companies.
The government noted that Mustapha had previously served as a member of the Kwara State Executive Council before his election to the National Assembly.
He represented the Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015.
Beyond his political career, Mustapha, popularly known as MM, has remained active in business and community leadership.
His appointment also comes against the backdrop of his involvement in Kwara politics.
Mustapha is a chieftain of the PDP and had sought the party’s ticket to contest the Kwara Central Senatorial District seat in the 2027 general election.
However, following the emergence of the incumbent Senator, Saliu Mustapha, as the PDP candidate, Mustapha accepted the outcome and pledged his support for the senator.
The state government said his experience in public service, business and community leadership would be relevant to his new responsibility as Ameerul Hajj.
In the role, Mustapha is expected to coordinate with the various statutory institutions responsible for the pilgrimage and facilitate the smooth administration of the state’s participation in the 2027 Hajj.
Mustapha’s educational background includes studies at Kwara State Polytechnic, Lagos State University and Rome Business School in Italy.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and federal lawmaker, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as an asset to the ruling party, urging APC leaders to refrain from publicly embarrassing him over his continued membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Jibrin made the remarks on Wednesday night while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended Wike amid criticisms from some APC governors over his political affiliation and support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The Kano lawmaker argued that Wike’s contributions to the emergence of the Tinubu administration and the APC’s political fortunes should be recognised, rather than subjected to public criticism.
“There is no APC member in Nigeria today that has not directly or indirectly benefited from the efforts of Wike, so long as delivering the President, also managing the government, also performing his work, there is nobody,” Jibrin said.
He added that Wike remained an important figure in the administration and should not be publicly attacked by members of the ruling party.
“Wike is an asset to the APC. I don’t think Wike should be embarrassed at this moment with public statements,” he said.
According to Jibrin, Wike had made significant political sacrifices in support of Tinubu and the APC despite remaining a member of the opposition PDP.
“Wike is an asset to APC; he has sacrificed so much for the President and the APC,” he added.
‘I’m Not Holding Brief for Wike’
Jibrin said his intervention was not motivated by a personal relationship with the FCT minister, explaining that he had only met Wike twice by accident.
He said his concern was primarily about protecting what he described as the stability of the political efforts aimed at securing Tinubu’s second-term bid.
“As I talk to you, before only God I worship, I don’t know Wike, but he knows me from afar, and I know him from afar, if I see him I know he is Wike, and if he sees me he will know I’m Honourable Jibrin, I have met him just twice accidentally, so I’m not holding any brief for Wike,” he explained.
Jibrin added that he considered it necessary to speak whenever political disagreements could affect the broader coalition supporting the President.
He also cited Wike’s political activities in Rivers State and the FCT as evidence of his contribution to the APC-led administration.
Wike ‘Handed Over Rivers to APC’
The former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation said Wike had played a role in the political realignment that strengthened the APC in Rivers State.
“I believe that Wike has sacrificed; he handed over Rivers to APC, Wike had candidates [in the] FCT election but asked them to step down for APC. Wike came into this government as [part of the] government of national unity. In reality, we should be fair to him; he has done far more than that,” Jibrin said.
He further argued that Wike’s continued membership of the PDP should not automatically disqualify him from supporting Tinubu, noting that politicians from other parties were also involved in the broader political coalition backing the President.
According to him, some politicians outside the APC had also expressed concern about the criticism directed at Wike.
“There are people who are in other parties, who are working with us in the NDC, in the ADC. Some of them called me yesterday, saying, ‘Look at what they are saying about Wike,’” he stated.
Jibrin Urges APC Governors to Engage Wike Privately
Jibrin also appealed to APC governors who have disagreements with Wike to resolve their differences through private discussions instead of public criticism.
“For the governors, they should take Wike as part of them,” he said.
He referred to Wike and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke as political figures whose activities, in his view, were contributing to the broader coalition supporting Tinubu.
“You call Wike the number 32 governor and Adeleke the number 33 governor of the APC; if there is a problem at the state level, the entire coalition that he is doing is for the President,” Jibrin said.
He maintained that where state-level political disagreements arise, the affected parties should engage Wike directly rather than make public statements against him.
“If anybody at the subnational level feels it may work against him or his interest, they should discuss with Wike, but I do not think Wike should be embarrassed by statements,” he added.
Criticism Amid 2027 Political Realignment
Jibrin’s comments come amid criticism from some APC governors over Wike’s continued membership of the PDP while openly supporting Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Among those who have publicly questioned the arrangement are Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
Wike has been associated with the “Rainbow Coalition”, a political alignment involving politicians across party lines that has expressed support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.
Jibrin, however, maintained that Wike’s political support for the President had contributed to electoral gains for the ruling party.
He pointed to the outcome of the recently concluded FCT Area Council elections, where the APC won five of the six councils, as part of the political gains he associated with the broader coalition.
The debate over Wike’s political affiliation and his role in the APC-led administration is expected to remain part of the wider political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has thrown his weight behind the 2027 House of Representatives ambition of human rights lawyer and political campaigner, Pelumi Olajengbesi.
Davido expressed his support for Olajengbesi in an Instagram Story on Tuesday, describing the politician as “My other project” and endorsing him as a “100% winning ticket.”
Olajengbesi is seeking to represent the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency of Osun State in the House of Representatives in the 2027 general elections on the platform of the Accord Party.
The endorsement comes weeks after the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election, in which Governor Ademola Adeleke secured victory for a second term.
Olajengbesi played a prominent role in Adeleke’s re-election campaign, serving as the convener of the Imole Grassroots Mobilisation Network and campaign spokesman for the governor’s campaign.
Following Adeleke’s victory at the polls, Davido also took to X to appreciate Olajengbesi for his contribution to the campaign.
The latest endorsement by the music star is therefore being seen as a further indication of his support for Olajengbesi’s political ambition ahead of the 2027 elections.
Olajengbesi, a lawyer and human rights advocate, will be seeking to unseat the incumbent member of the House of Representatives for the constituency, Wole Oke of the All Progressives Congress.
Oke has represented the Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives for 24 years, making the 2027 contest potentially significant for the constituency.
With Olajengbesi now receiving public backing from Davido, the race for the federal constituency is expected to attract increased political attention as parties and candidates begin preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Davido, who has remained publicly engaged with political developments in Osun State, has previously shown support for Governor Adeleke, who is his uncle.
The endorsement of Olajengbesi adds another dimension to the emerging political contest in the state, particularly as aspirants position themselves ahead of the 2027 legislative elections.
The House of Representatives election will form part of the wider 2027 general elections, with candidates across the country expected to campaign on issues including representation, development, employment, infrastructure and the welfare of their constituents.
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