REJOINDER: The Fallacy of Continuity and the Reality of Political Independence, By Muhammad Sanusi Kiru
The recent article by Hassan Sani Tukur, “Understanding the Current Kano Political Scene,” attempts to paint a picture of seamless ideological fidelity between the current administration and the Kwankwasiyya movement. However, the writer fails to acknowledge that history is repeating itself with remarkable precision.
The only difference lies not in the “ideology,” but in the timeline of when a Governor decides to prioritize the interests of the Kano people over the overbearing dictates of a single individual. To compare Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s tenure to that of Abba Kabir Yusuf is to ignore the fundamental realities of age, experience, and professional standing, realities that are now pushing Governor Abba toward the same path of independence that Ganduje once took.
One must consider the seniority and professional pedigree that Dr. Ganduje brought to the table. Long before Senator Kwankwaso rose to political prominence, Ganduje was a seasoned administrator, rising to the level of Director in the Federal Service and serving as a Commissioner. While Ganduje was supervising ministries, Kwankwaso was a subordinate staff member (Assistant Director) at WRECA. To expect a man of Ganduje’s seniority to remain a perpetual subordinate was an exercise in futility. Conversely, Abba Kabir Yusuf’s relationship with Kwankwaso was forged in the shadow of a Personal Assistant and in-law. What Abba could tolerate as a protégé, he can no longer sustain as a sitting Governor. The current January 2026 rift where the Governor is reportedly defecting to the APC while Kwankwaso opens “loyalty registers” for his followers is the ultimate proof that the “perfect subordinate” is a myth that even family ties cannot preserve.
