Kwankwaso Declares Shekarau,Ganduje, Yusuf Politically Finished in Kano

​ABUJA — Former Kano State Governor and 2027 presidential hopeful, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has delivered a scathing assessment of the state’s political landscape, declaring that former governors Ibrahim Shekarau, Abdullahi Ganduje, and incumbent Governor Abba Yusuf have reached the end of their political relevance.

​Speaking during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja, Kwankwaso argued that sustainable political success cannot be built on a foundation of treachery. Drawing from two and a half decades of political observation, he maintained that politicians who betray their allies invariably fade into political oblivion.

​The Fall of Former Allies

​Focusing heavily on Abdullahi Ganduje—who served as his deputy for eight years before succeeding him in 2015—Kwankwaso noted that Ganduje’s decision to sever ties marked the beginning of his downward trajectory.

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​”If you can even see the issue of Ganduje, who we came together and supported, and became governor free of charge… where is he now? It is difficult to see him,” Kwankwaso stated, adding that the former governor could have commanded far greater respect had he preserved their joint political structure.

​The former governor also drew parallels to national politics, recalling a conversation with President Bola Tinubu regarding political reconciliation. Kwankwaso recounted pointing out the transient nature of political loyalty by citing figures like former Lagos State Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who are no longer prominent within the president’s current sphere of influence. Among his former associates, he singled out only former Osun Governor Chief Bisi Akande as a lifelong friend who maintained a steady bond.

​Tension with Governor Yusuf

​Turning his attention to the incumbent administration in Kano, Kwankwaso criticized Governor Abba Yusuf for distancing himself from the grassroots political network that engineered his electoral victories in both 2019 and 2023.

​While noting that Yusuf’s selection was meticulously planned to prevent a repeat of the “Ganduje experience,” Kwankwaso alleged that the current governor has allowed himself to be caught between political factions—struggling to shed the shadow of his predecessors while simultaneously attempting to supplant Kwankwaso’s enduring influence in the state.

​”People have no patience and that is why they are making those mistakes. It is just a matter of patience,” Kwankwaso remarked, maintaining that despite ongoing succession struggles unique to Kano, true political longevity requires unwavering loyalty rather than expediency.