Former APC National Chairman and ex-Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has hit back at Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso over claims that he was once his political protégé, insisting that the former presidential candidate was also once “his boy.”
In a statement issued from Saudi Arabia, where he is performing the Hajj pilgrimage, Ganduje said politics is built on mentorship, support and sacrifice, noting that no leader rises to prominence without help from others.
Responding to Kwankwaso’s recent remark that “Even Ganduje was once my boy,” the former APC chairman recalled supporting Kwankwaso during his early political career, particularly in his successful bid to become Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“At that time, Ganduje could confidently have referred to Kwankwaso as his political boy, having supported him morally and financially,” the statement said.
Ganduje also recounted how Kwankwaso frequently visited him during his years as a senior civil servant in Abuja and later as Kano State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport.
The former governor revisited the 1998 governorship primaries in Kano, claiming many party stakeholders believed he won the contest but agreed to step down and accept the deputy governorship position alongside Kwankwaso in the interest of party unity.
Despite their long-running political rivalry, Ganduje acknowledged that both men worked together successfully in government between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015.
He argued that political relationships evolve over time, citing Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who once served as Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant but now occupies Kano’s highest political office.
“Politics should not be about who is superior to the other. A father can nurture a child who eventually becomes greater in status and influence,” Ganduje stated.
He urged political leaders and supporters in Kano State to avoid divisive rhetoric and instead focus on promoting peace, unity and development.
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