Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the 2027 Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate and leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, has said the door remains open for reconciliation with Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf despite their political differences.
Speaking during an interview with BBC Hausa on Monday, June 8, 2026, Kwankwaso stated that he still has affection for the governor and would welcome him back if he chooses to return.
He said:
“I still love Abba, and I didn’t reject him; he is the one who 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.”
According to Kwankwaso, reconciliation is possible because political disagreements are not unusual, citing his past relationship with former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje as an example.
The former governor maintained that Governor Yusuf’s victory in the 2023 governorship election was made possible by the strength of the Kwankwasiyya Movement.
He expressed disappointment that Yusuf allegedly left the movement to align with those they had previously defeated politically.
Kwankwaso also claimed that Yusuf was deliberately chosen as the movement’s candidate in 2023, not because he was the most senior member or the most educated, but to test and demonstrate the political influence of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano State.
He said:
“We chose him because we wanted to test the strength and calibre of the Kwankwasiyya movement at that time.”
The comments come amid ongoing political realignments and consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Recently, leaders of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and the NDC held a late-night meeting aimed at resolving internal disagreements and strengthening party unity. The party said the discussions focused on inclusion, participation, and internal democracy.
The NDC also dismissed reports claiming that results of its primary elections had been released, insisting that no official results had been announced.
Meanwhile, the Kwankwasiyya Movement has denied reports suggesting that Kwankwaso plans to leave the NDC, maintaining that there is no internal crisis over candidate selection and that party processes have followed due procedure.
