Kwankwaso Opens Reconciliation Door to Estranged Kano Governor Abba Yusuf
Former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso says he remains open to reconciling with Governor Abba Yusuf after their political fallout, as both camps signal willingness to mend fences.
Former Kano State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has signalled a willingness to reconcile with his estranged political associate and incumbent Kano Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, potentially opening a new chapter in one of the state's most closely watched political relationships.
Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, published on Sunday, September 20, 2026, as he addressed the political disagreement that followed Yusuf's decision to leave the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). (TheCable)
The former governor said he had not abandoned Yusuf and maintained that he still had affection for him, adding that reconciliation remained possible if the Kano governor was willing to return to dialogue.
“I didn’t abandon him, didn’t ask him to go or dismiss him, I still like him,” Kwankwaso said, according to reports of the BBC interview. (Punch Newspapers)
His comments represent a notable shift in tone following months of political tension between the two men, whose relationship was once central to the Kwankwasiyya political movement in Kano.
From political allies to estrangement
Yusuf was for years regarded as a close political associate of Kwankwaso and an important figure within the Kwankwasiyya movement.
With Kwankwaso's backing, Yusuf contested the 2023 Kano governorship election on the NNPP platform and won the election, defeating the APC candidate. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission results cited by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, Yusuf secured 1,019,602 votes. (ICIR News)
The political relationship subsequently deteriorated as disagreements emerged over Yusuf's political direction.
The major break came in January 2026, when Yusuf formally defected from the NNPP to the APC alongside members of the Kano State House of Assembly and representatives in the House of Representatives.
The move placed Yusuf in the same political camp as Abdullahi Ganduje, another former Kano governor who had previously been a major political rival of Kwankwaso.
The defection was consequently seen as a major realignment in Kano politics, particularly because the political structure associated with Kwankwaso had played a significant role in Yusuf's emergence as governor.
Kwankwaso says forgiveness remains possible
While discussing his relationship with Yusuf, Kwankwaso presented forgiveness and reconciliation as part of political life.
He cited his long and sometimes difficult relationship with Ganduje as an example, recalling that the two had experienced disagreements but eventually worked together politically.
Kwankwaso said that despite previous conflicts, he eventually supported Ganduje's political rise.
“If I’m not forgiving, we will not put Ganduje forward; the situation is the same with Yusuf,” he said.
He also argued that political leaders should recognise that people have different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking.
“I’m not God,” Kwankwaso said, adding that anyone seeking reconciliation would need patience, compassion and an understanding that people would not always agree with their leaders' decisions.
The comments suggest that Kwankwaso is leaving the possibility of renewed communication open, although no formal reconciliation agreement between the two politicians has been announced.
Kano government responds
The response from Kano's government was similarly conciliatory.
Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, said the state government was open to reconciliation with Kwankwaso.
Waiya described Kwankwaso as a father figure and said the government would welcome efforts to restore their relationship.
“We regard Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as a father to us. Therefore, just as he said that his door is open for reconciliation, our door is also open,” the commissioner said.
Waiya also said Governor Yusuf had previously instructed his supporters not to treat Kwankwaso as an adversary.
According to the commissioner, Yusuf had maintained that Kwankwaso should be regarded as a father figure and that the disagreement should not develop into hostility.
“This is not really a fight; it is simply a difference of opinion,” Waiya said. (ThisTimes.com.ng)
Implications for Kano politics
The development comes at a significant period in Nigerian politics, with political parties and major political figures already positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Kwankwaso is now the vice-presidential candidate of the NDC, with former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as the party's presidential candidate.
Yusuf, meanwhile, remains in the APC after his defection earlier in 2026.
Their political realignment means that a reconciliation between the two men could have consequences beyond their personal relationship, particularly given Kwankwaso's longstanding influence in Kano and the importance of the state in northern Nigerian politics.
However, the recent statements do not amount to a formal political agreement. Neither Kwankwaso nor Yusuf has announced that they have resolved their differences or that they intend to return to the same political platform.
For now, the development is primarily a public exchange of conciliatory statements.
Kwankwaso's changing political alignment
Kwankwaso's comments also come after his own departure from the NNPP.
The former Kano governor left the party and joined the NDC in 2026, later becoming Obi's running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
His political movement away from the NNPP and Yusuf's move to the APC have fundamentally altered the political alliances that surrounded the 2023 Kano election.
The latest reconciliation remarks therefore occur against a broader restructuring of Nigeria's opposition politics.
A possible opening, but no agreement yet
The exchange between Kwankwaso and the Kano government has nevertheless created an opening for dialogue.
Kwankwaso has publicly said he is willing to forgive and reconcile with Yusuf, while the Kano government has responded that its door is also open.
Whether those statements lead to an actual meeting or political reconciliation remains to be seen.
For Kano, however, the significance extends beyond the relationship between two politicians. Kwankwaso's influence and Yusuf's position as the sitting governor make their relationship an important factor in the state's political landscape.
For now, both sides appear to have lowered the temperature of their public rhetoric, replacing earlier disagreements with language centred on forgiveness, patience and reconciliation.
The next stage will depend on whether the statements translate into direct engagement and, eventually, a mutually agreed political understanding.
As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 elections, the relationship between Kwankwaso and Yusuf will remain one of the developments closely watched in Kano and across the country's political landscape.