Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Kano State Government has thrown a political bombshell into the 2027 election calculations, alleging that former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso – the influential national leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement – is indirectly working to secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re‑election, despite publicly positioning himself as an opposition figure. The explosive claim was made by Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Director‑General of Media and Publicity at the Kano Government House, during an appearance on the Arise TV Morning Show on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.
“Former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is indirectly or strategically working towards President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re‑election bid,” Bature stated. “There are political activities and strategic engagements already taking place ahead of 2027, and many of them will eventually favour President Tinubu.” He added that while some politicians openly support the president, others work behind the scenes, and he believes Kwankwaso falls into the latter category. “I believe whatever Kwankwaso is doing will favour Tinubu because Kwankwaso has worked for Tinubu in 2023,” Bature said, indicating that the former governor’s past actions pointed to a continuing alignment with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The allegation is the latest salvo in a bitter rift that has opened up between Kwankwaso and his erstwhile political protégé, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. The two have been locked in a public war of words for months, with Yusuf recently warning his estranged benefactor to stop making “incessant attacks” and saying, “Silence is not a sign of fear.” At an APC senatorial affirmation event in Rano on 18 May, the governor declared, “If an old man does not respect himself and keeps quiet, the younger one will have something to say.”
Bature’s interview went far beyond a simple allegation, detailing a behind‑the‑scenes political drama that he claimed Kwankwaso was orchestrating. According to the Kano government spokesman, Governor Yusuf approached President Tinubu over plans to defect to the APC, and he did so with Kwankwaso’s explicit consent. The move also had the backing of former Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo. Bature alleged that Kwankwaso himself had initially pushed for a direct meeting with President Tinubu to negotiate a political realignment that would include roles for his loyalists in the federal executive council. A meeting date was set, but Kwankwaso reportedly cancelled it at the last minute, citing a trip to China; he never rescheduled.
“Somebody who said Tinubu is his friend ordered his political godson, the governor, to meet the president to discuss the issue of partnership and defection to APC. He withdrew at the very last hour,” Bature told Arise TV. This narrative paints a picture of a political master strategist who, even as he publicly aligns with opposition parties, is simultaneously keeping channels open to the presidency and directing his allies toward the ruling party.
Bature also used the platform to pour cold water on speculation about a possible Kwankwaso‑Peter Obi alliance. “For us, when you say ‘Obi’ in Kano, it’s actually strange news,” he said, adding that many people were surprised that “the same Kwankwaso who said he has a PhD, Obi has just an undergraduate degree… the same Kwankwaso who has seen Obi as just a Biafra agent is now craving for him to be the vice president to Obi”. According to the Kano government aide, such a ticket would struggle to secure even one million votes in Kano, despite Kwankwaso’s strong showing in 2023.
Predictably, Kwankwaso has denied the allegations. Speaking on Global Television on Wednesday, he dismissed the claim that he was secretly working for Tinubu as “false and baseless”. “The rumours had existed for a long time, especially during his time in the New Nigeria Peoples Party,” he said, but insisted that his political camp remained focused on the agenda of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He reiterated that his party’s focus remains on tackling insecurity, improving education and addressing other national challenges.
The underlying conflict is not merely about 2027 realignments, but about control of Kano’s formidable political machinery. Kwankwaso’s Kwankwasiyya movement – easily identified by its trademark red caps – remains one of the most influential grassroots networks in northern Nigeria. It is widely credited with delivering the governorship to Yusuf in 2023, when he ran on the NNPP platform and defeated the APC candidate. But since then, the relationship has soured dramatically over political direction, appointments, and the management of state affairs.
Governor Yusuf’s defection to the APC earlier this year, and the subsequent mass movement of his supporters into the ruling party, is seen as a direct challenge to Kwankwaso’s authority. The APC’s former National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje – once Kwankwaso’s deputy and later his sworn political enemy – has welcomed the governor into the fold and has even expressed openness to reconciliation with his former ally. “As a Muslim, is there a person you would say you don’t want to be reconciled with?” Ganduje said in an interview following Yusuf’s defection. “It’s politics. So we hope that in the future we can reconcile with him completely because we have been in politics together and we are brothers”.
As the 2027 election approaches, the Kano government’s allegation adds another layer of complexity to the country’s shifting political landscape. President Tinubu, who has already secured the endorsement of several APC zones for a second term, appears to be benefiting from a divided opposition. Whether Kwankwaso is genuinely working for the president’s re‑election, as Kano State now alleges, or whether the accusation is simply a tactical move to discredit a political rival, the outcome will be decisive: whoever holds Kano’s heart – and its millions of votes – may well hold the key to the presidency in 2027.
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