Abdullahi Ganduje, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the party is confident of defeating Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano, with the backing of Abba Yusuf, the governor.
Ganduje spoke in an interview with BBC News Hausa aired on Monday, where he described Kano as a critical political stronghold ahead of the 2027 elections.
On March 30, Kwankwaso officially joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), aligning with key opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate.
Ganduje described Kwankwaso as “a bird hopping from one tree to another”, saying his political influence is already weakening.
“We can use our political strategy to defeat him now, especially since the Governor is on our side and that is the essence of politics,” Ganduje said.
“His political journey is coming to an end; he joined a major party filled with individuals who all want to contest for the Presidency. This internal ambition will be their downfall, as they are already fighting among themselves.”
He also pointed to what he described as the growing strength of the APC nationally.
“Look at our party: even governors are joining us. In the history of Nigerian politics, no party has ever held 32 state governors except ours. These governors are joining willingly because they are genuinely interested in the progress happening at the federal level,” he said.
Ganduje, who served two terms as governor of Kano, also revisited the 2023 governorship election, where the APC lost to the NNPP.
“We did not win the last election. We took the case to court, where two courts affirmed our victory, but the Supreme Court ultimately decided against us. We accepted that as God’s will,” he said.
Ganduje added that the party had since begun rebuilding its structure in Kano, including reaching out across political divides.
“We have not given up, and we are working to rebuild the APC and make it strong enough to win again,” he said.
“Fortunately, the governor is a reasonable thinker. He recognised the need to join the ruling party APC to be involved in national governance rather than operating only within Kano State.”
GANDUJE REACTS TO GAWUNA’S RESIGNATION
Ganduje also reacted to the resignation of Nasiru Gawuna, the APC governorship candidate in Kano during the 2023 elections, from the party on the same day Kwankwaso joined the ADC.
He said he did not view Gawuna’s exit as a betrayal, insisting there was no personal rift between them.
“Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna has not betrayed me, nor has he done anything wrong. Democracy is driven by personal interest, and he is simply pursuing his. We have never fought, and there are no personal issues between us,” Ganduje said.
He suggested that Gawuna’s decision may have been influenced by the governor’s entry into the APC.
“Perhaps Gawuna felt he wouldn’t have a fair chance to contest since the governor would naturally seek re-election on the party ticket,” he said.
Ganduje also dismissed claims of a strong alliance between Gawuna and Kwankwaso in the ADC.
“His decision to align with Kwankwaso is because their interests currently overlap. However, by God’s grace, they will not succeed in their plans,” he added.
The Cable
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