Whoever Kwankwaso puts forward will defeat Yusuf – Kwankwasiyya official

Saddam Sani Umar is the welfare officer of the Kwankwasiyya Movement in Kano State. In this interview, he discusses the shock within the movement regarding reports of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s possible defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Reports suggest Gov. Yusuf is set to defect to the APC, sparking a major political realignment. Many believe the Kwankwasiyya movement and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will be the losers. What is your reaction?

I do not agree with that. Kwankwaso is the leader of this movement across Nigeria, not just in Kano. To suggest he will be the loser is to ignore reality. No matter how strong a political party claims to be, they are all pursuing Kwankwaso. He is the only leader in this country who truly stands for the masses.

Betraying Kwankwaso does not end well; history proves it. Look at the previous administration. Ganduje betrayed Kwankwaso and eventually lost. In 2019, they lost the election, save for that controversial “inconclusive” result. By 2023, even without a single councillor in government, Kwankwaso single-handedly brought in “Abba Gida Gida.”

Abba had never contested for any position, not even as a councillor, in his life. He worked as Kwankwaso’s PA for over 30 years. Kwankwaso elevated him to commissioner and then to governor. To think Kwankwaso will lose out now is myopic.

Are you saying the APC and Gov. Yusuf are the ones who willultimately lose?

Yes, that is my position. They will lose in Kano. When the time comes, the people will turn out massively to vote for anyone Kwankwaso chooses. In Kano, if Kwankwaso chooses a dog, the people will vote for it because they trust him as a leader who stands by his people.

How can the movement survive without control of the state government?

I don’t believe the movement will be affected. The other side may boast about government money and resources, but people are wise now. They will take your resources and use them to fight you. Many of those currently behind the governor are just hanging around to see what they can get. The real fight has not yet started.

This is why Kwankwaso said that anyone who has spent their time and resources for this movement should not step down from their government positions, even if Abba moves to the APC. They should remain there as “strong pillars” on standby. They may stay quiet for now, but the time for action will come.

Is the strategy to keep loyalists inside the government to work against it from within?

We are not praying for open confrontation yet. As I speak to you, they haven’t even secured a waiver to move to another party because there is nothing solid on the ground. The APC isn’t really looking for Gov. Yusuf; they are looking for Kwankwaso. That is why you hear so many rumours. They don’t have direct access to the Presidential Villa; they are just speaking with people on the periphery who are deceiving them. At the end of the day, the result will be clear.

For many, the red cap is a symbol of political identity. Can the movement remain united despite this internal disagreement?

The red cap ideology remains. Even if they move to the APC, they wouldn’t dare remove the red cap for now. It would be the most dangerous thing they could do. They know that the moment they take that cap off, they lose their political safety. You cannot tell the people of Kano that you are safe from Kwankwaso’s ideology; you would only be deceiving yourself.

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