‘I still love you, come back’ – Kwankwaso to Gov Yusuf

Former Kano State Governor and national leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that he remains open to reconciling with Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, insisting that political differences have not diminished his regard for his former protégé.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Kwankwaso said the door to reconciliation is open, stressing that Yusuf chose to leave the movement and that he would welcome him back should he decide to return.

“I still love Abba and I didn’t reject him; he is the one that left. Not just Abba — if anyone who left comes back, I won’t be unforgiving. Look at Ganduje; over many years we fell out several times and got back together. That is how politics works,” he said.

The rift between the two politicians deepened after Yusuf defected from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), under whose platform he won the 2023 governorship election, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) — a move that drew sharp criticism from members of the Kwankwasiyya movement.

Kwankwaso argued that Yusuf’s electoral victory was possible because of the strength of the movement. “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 said.

He explained that the movement fielded Yusuf in 2023 deliberately to test the political influence and organisational strength of Kwankwasiyya. “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,” Kwankwaso said.

Emphasising the importance of tolerance and forgiveness in leadership, Kwankwaso said leaders must accept differing opinions and maintain an open heart.

“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.