Veteran politician and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) chieftain, Engr Buba Galadima, has warned that Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf will fail politically if he attempts to sever ties with his long-time mentor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In a candid interview on Trust TV’s Daily Politics programme, Galadima dismissed widespread speculation of an imminent fallout between the governor and Kwankwaso, insisting that any move by Yusuf to abandon his political benefactor would amount to standing on “borrowed feet” and lead to inevitable collapse.
Galadima highlighted the deep-rooted 30-year relationship between the two men, spanning pre-politics, politics, and governance.
He recalled how Kwankwaso anointed Yusuf as the NNPP governorship candidate despite opposition from over 20 senior figures in the movement, who felt Yusuf was not the right choice.
Kwankwaso, he said, risked losing many disciples to ensure Yusuf's emergence.
Referencing the 2019 election where Yusuf won but was initially denied victory in favour of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje with alleged support from then-President Muhammadu Buhari Galadima credited divine intervention and Buhari's eventual intervention for the 2023 triumph, when Yusuf was declared winner despite intense APC efforts to thwart it.
He described Kwankwaso as the “ladder” upon which Yusuf climbed to power and the “common denominator” in Nigerian politics today.
Galadima noted that virtually all prominent politicians in Kano, including current APC figures like Ganduje, Senator Abdullahi Abbas, Senator Barau Jibrin, and Kawu Sumaila, emerged from Kwankwaso’s political school.
Amid reports of pressure on Yusuf, starting just three months into his tenure to distance himself from Kwankwaso, possibly from influences in Kano or Abuja, Galadima acknowledged the push but maintained that Yusuf has not officially declared any defection.
He referenced recent endorsements by state assembly members and local government chairmen for movements like “Abba tsaya da kafarka” (Abba stand on your own feet), but insisted such figures owe their positions to Kwankwaso.“
If he stands on borrowed feet, he will fall,” Galadima warned. “Abba without Kwankwaso will fail.”
He argued that any shift to the APC would mean moving “from the hands of God to the hands of Tinubu,” and predicted no support from Kwankwaso or the NNPP if Yusuf moves alone, describing the governor as “inconsequential” without his mentor in high-level negotiations.
Galadima also defended the NNPP’s viability, pointing to recent by-election wins in Kano constituencies (despite one being contested), the party’s registration on INEC’s server under recognised leaders like himself and Dr Ajiji Ahmed, and the APC’s failed court challenges (18 cases costing over N3 billion) aimed at portraying the NNPP as factionalised or non-viable.
The comments come against the backdrop of ongoing political realignments in Kano, including Yusuf’s visits to the Presidential Villa dismissed by Galadima as access available to any Nigerian, not a sign of defection and broader speculation about 2027 electoral strategies involving the APC, NNPP, and Kwankwasiyya movement.
Galadima’s remarks have intensified discussions about loyalty, political destiny, and the future of opposition politics in Kano State ahead of the 2027 elections.
No immediate response has been reported from Governor Yusuf or Senator Kwankwaso.
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