Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who ran as the presidential candidate for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the recent general elections, has refuted claims of entering into any agreement with President Bola Tinubu or anyone related to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Kano State governorship election dispute.
Following the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Abba Kabir Yusuf as the duly elected governor of Kano last Friday, Kwankwaso addressed the allegations in an interview with BBC Hausa. He asserted, “What happened at the Supreme Court is a lesson for all of us. I know that I mean well for everyone. Throughout this period, I have not done anything to anyone, and anybody would reap what he sows. To the best of my knowledge, I have not reached an agreement with anybody.”
Kwankwaso clarified his relationship with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, stating, “All I know is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is my contemporary. I joined politics at the same time as him in SDP. Then he was a senator, and I was serving as the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1999, he was my colleague as the governor of Lagos State. We founded the APC together, and we participated fully in the struggles which followed up.”
Addressing the aftermath of the Supreme Court verdict, Kwankwaso expressed a conciliatory stance, saying, “There is no problem. They have their party; we have our own. We will work together where necessary. On the issue of joining the government, only time can tell.”
The senator emphasized that he would not assert authority over Governor Kabir Yusuf, affirming, “Kabir Yusuf is the governor. We can only advise. Even if he were a biological son, I can’t rule over him. I have given him pieces of advice even before the government came in. There are thousands of people like me. I can’t do it alone.”
Highlighting the importance of allowing leaders to prove their worth, Kwankwaso stated, “When a governor or a president does well, the credit goes to him. If he does otherwise, the blame is directed at him. People misunderstand this. When I was a governor, I would pick suggestions kept by people even in dustbins. The same is on radio stations and newspapers. For everything has an appointed time. Those who succeed should be allowed to prove their worth. There were errors with the previous judgment, but the Supreme Court undid what the lower courts did. If it were in other climes, those who delivered the judgments in the lower courts would quit their jobs.”
