Former Kano State governor and senator, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has asked political office holders serving under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to temporarily align with the governor’s reported move to the All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to calm growing political tension in the state.
Kwankwaso made the call on Tuesday, January 13, in a video posted on Facebook by his media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, following reports that Yusuf plans to defect to the APC, a move that has strained his relationship with Kwankwaso, his long time political mentor.
He said he was troubled by reports that council chairmen, councillors, secretaries and other officials were being forced to declare whether they were loyal to the Kwankwasiyya Movement or the Ganduje political camp.
“Today, 13th January 2026, I arrived in our blessed state of Kano, where I met many good things, but also some troubling developments, especially the policy forcing council chairmen, councillors, secretaries, and other office holders to write down who they are siding with, Kwankwasiyya or Gandujiyya. This is quite unfortunate, and none of our supporters will be happy with it,” Kwankwaso said.
He recalled that the Kwankwasiyya Movement regained power in 2023 through strong grassroots support, driven by the promise of better living conditions for Kano residents.
“We exercised patience and waited for 2023, when people came out with even stronger determination and voted for the present administration in the state, with the hope of getting a better life, access to education, job opportunities, and improved general welfare,” he said.
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Kwankwaso described Kano politics as a contest between “light and darkness,” insisting that the movement’s blueprint must not be compromised.
“Our movement is such that if you are in it, you will follow its blueprint. But if you deviate, you will have to defect from it. In Kano, we have only two options: light and darkness,” he said.
He said the crisis over Yusuf’s planned defection had left many elected officials distressed.
“Since the crisis of defecting to Ganduje and Tinubu started, people became sad and frustrated.
“Many LG chairmen called me on the phone; likewise, some councillors, other office holders, and many state assembly members intimated me about the situation they found themselves in,” Kwankwaso said.
He said officials under pressure had been allowed to temporarily declare loyalty to the governor to ease tension.
“We know that all the main politicking for 2027 has not even started yet. Our supporters should be on standby. I believe this will help douse tension in the state,” he added.