By Zakariyya Aliyu Gwaram
The National Leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, once suspected that Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was under spiritual influence and consequently requested that special prayers be organised for him, Senator Rufa’i Sani Hanga has revealed.
Hanga, who represents Kano Central Senatorial District and serves as the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, made the disclosure during an interview with BBC Hausa, monitored by Albarka Radio, days after Yusuf defected from the NNPP.
According to the senator, Kwankwaso became deeply concerned about what he described as Yusuf’s sudden and unusual change in behaviour, prompting fears that the governor might have been spiritually attacked.
“Kwankwaso told me that he had been calling Abbah, but he was not picking his calls, and he became worried,” Hanga said.
“He asked me to arrange special prayers for him, saying he regarded Abbah and his son, Mustapha, as his children. He feared that someone might have used charm on him and wanted prayers for his protection.”
Hanga said he shared Kwankwaso’s concerns, noting that Yusuf’s conduct had become inconsistent with the character he previously knew.
“I have also been praying for him because this is not the Abbah I know. The Abbah I knew would not ignore me or refuse to see me. Anytime I went to him, he avoided me,” he added.
The senator, who is currently the only NNPP member in the Senate, reaffirmed his loyalty to Kwankwaso and the party.
“I remain in the NNPP and also remain with my leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. I will be with him wherever he is,” Hanga declared.
Yusuf resigned from the NNPP on January 23, following weeks of speculation about his political future and a prolonged rift with Kwankwaso, widely regarded as his political mentor.
He defected alongside 21 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 local government chairpersons in the state. The governor is expected to formally join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Hanga dismissed claims that he played any role in the crisis between Kwankwaso and Yusuf, describing such allegations as unfounded.
“Honestly, the speculations are not true. What do we gain by creating a rift between Kwankwaso and Abba? I tried my best to reconcile them,” he said.
“I am not a child. I have good home training. I cannot betray loyalty, and I did not make the statements being attributed to me.”
According to the senator, signs of Yusuf’s disloyalty became evident less than a year into his tenure, when groups began appearing on radio programmes urging him to assert independence from Kwankwaso.
“Even before his one-year anniversary, groups were consistently calling on him to ‘stand on his feet’ and be independent, and he did not stop them,” Hanga alleged.
He said he personally visited the governor to caution him against listening to such influences.
“I told him that these people did not have his best interests at heart and that he had not yet consolidated his political position,” he said.
“I even told him that he could not win in his local government, Gwali. We spoke for about three hours, and he became angry during the discussion.”
Hanga said he also warned Yusuf against being carried away by public adulation, citing the political downfall of former Kano governor, Abubakar Rimi, who fell out with his mentor, Aminu Kano.
“I reminded him that history does not favour leaders who abandon their political roots,” he stated.
The senator further recounted how Yusuf emerged as the NNPP governorship candidate in 2023 after three more prominent aspirants failed to reach a consensus, compelling Kwankwaso to select him as a compromise candidate.
“They could not agree among themselves after three attempts, so they asked Kwankwaso to choose for them. He selected Abbah because he had shown little interest and would not attract allegations of favoritism,” Hanga explained.
He added that the three aspirants later became hostile to Kwankwaso following Yusuf’s emergence.
Hanga recalled that despite earlier electoral setbacks, including the annulment of Yusuf’s 2019 governorship bid, Kwankwaso continued to support him.
“In 2023, he stood by him, and he won. I stayed at INEC with Kwankwaso until the results were announced. We planned every committee for his victory,” he said.
“Why would you betray those who stood by you?” he queried.
The senator disclosed that he briefed Kwankwaso before meeting Yusuf and reported back afterward on the outcome of their discussions.
He said Yusuf eventually met with Kwankwaso, spent the night with him, and reconciled, marking the first major attempt at resolving their differences.
“This happened before he completed one year in office,” Hanga said.
He noted that Yusuf’s public denial of involvement in anti-Kwankwaso activities further deepened internal divisions within the party.
Hanga also accused the ruling APC of attempting to destabilise opposition parties, insisting that such efforts had failed to weaken the NNPP.
“There was no room for that in our party,” he stated.
He maintained that the NNPP remains strong despite Yusuf’s defection, citing recent by-election victories in Bagwai and Shanono local government areas and the acceptance of the party’s candidates by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for upcoming elections in Abuja.
Responding to Yusuf’s claims of internal frictions within the NNPP, Hanga dismissed them as baseless.
He said the party’s previous and recent conventions, which he chaired, were conducted peacefully in the presence of INEC officials and security agencies.
“There was no conflict whatsoever,” he insisted.
Hanga argued that if genuine issues existed within the party, Yusuf should have remained to help resolve them rather than defecting.
“You do not abandon a vehicle and allow it to crash. He should have stayed and helped fix the problems,” he said.
The senator described Yusuf’s exit as a betrayal of over four decades of mentorship by Kwankwaso.
“For someone Kwankwaso raised for 43 years and made governor, this is deeply disappointing,” he lamented.
He further noted that Kwankwaso had the political capacity to dominate the Northwest region through the Kwankwasiyya movement but chose instead to support Yusuf.
“Even when APC was formed, Kwankwaso delivered Jigawa and Kaduna. He has the capacity to deliver the Northwest,” Hanga said.
According to him, Yusuf failed to consolidate this political advantage and instead aligned with opposing interests.
“All of us who stood with him from the beginning were abandoned. He put his eggs in the wrong basket,” the senator concluded.
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