How I fell apart with Kwankwaso – Ganduje

You have been the governor of the country's largest state and the chairman of Africa's largest political party. What helped you actualise your dream and vision in these two institutions?

Yes, there are three important things: knowledge, experience, and patience.

When I say knowledge, I mean I was very committed to educating myself. My father was a village head. We had many cows. In fact, when he took me to primary school, he thought I would be rejected because I was too small. But the district head at the time said this is the type of child we like—those who are small. From there, I continued.

When I finished primary school, the results were not released immediately. I did not want to return to my village because when the results would come out, there would be no way for me to know. Communication was not like it is today. A car could not get to my village. A motorcycle could not reach it. Even a bicycle could not get there because of the rivers and streams. Only horses and donkeys could reach my village.

In the whole village, no house was built with mud blocks. They were all thatched houses. And the distance between one house and another was almost one kilometre. So I did not want to go back. I went to my headmaster and told him that if I returned home, I would not know when the results would be released.

I pleaded with him to allow me to stay with him. He agreed, and I stayed until the results came out. I was lucky—I passed.

I went to secondary school. After that, I attended the Advanced Teachers' College. At that time in Northern Nigeria, there was a programme that required all NCE graduates to teach for two years. After that, you would be given in-service admission to the university. But because of my love for education and my strong desire to continue learning, I said no. I did not want to teach for two years. I wanted to enter the university immediately.

Although I graduated in June, I was admitted to the university by September without going through the in-service process. I said, “No, no, no. I am not married. I do not need in-service. Let me secure my degree first.”

After I graduated, I started working. At the same time, I pursued my Master's degree. Later, I obtained another Master's degree. The first was at Bayero University; the second was at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU). While working, I decided to pursue my PhD.

I was offered admission into ABU, but I declined. I wanted a university where only serious students could graduate. I asked people which university, regardless of ethnicity, tribe, or religion, would really challenge me. They suggested the University of Ibadan. I went there and earned my PhD in record time in 1993, over 30 years ago. This shows how knowledge and education helped me move through many institutions and take on different roles.

When I say experience, I mean I served as a local government secretary. I was a local government chairman. I was the sole administrator. I served as commissioner for seven years, deputy governor for eight years, and governor for eight years. You can see how I gained experience from the grassroots level to the highest level of state governance. That is real governance experience.

I also have a lot of political experience. In 1978, I was the secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in my local government. In 1979, I ran for the House of Representatives and served as the party's state assistant secretary. Before the election, I didn't expect to win because my party wasn't popular in my area. But I was interested in politics and wanted to be part of a national party, not just one limited to a few states. Even if I didn't win, I knew I could still participate.

That was exactly what happened. I knew I would not win. In fact, the person who defeated me was my primary school classmate. At that time, I already had a Master's degree. He was just a secondary school leaver. He had not even paid his taxes, which was a serious issue at the time.

A judge sent me a message, saying he had learned that the person who defeated me had not paid taxes and that I should go to court. He assured me I would win. But I did not go to court. Do you know why? The man received over 13,000 votes, while I received just over 3,000. I asked myself: how can I present myself as a representative when someone got 13,000 votes and I got only 3,000, and then I defeated him in court and became a member? I said no, I would not do that.

Later, I was appointed by the President Shehu Shagari-led Federal Government.

Lastly, patience helped me. I learned to be patient because I saw both the good and the bad sides of things. I noticed that impatient people often get into trouble. Being patient helped me listen more and talk less. It also helped me work with others, since politics and governance involve many different interests.

Let's talk about Kano politics. On several occasions, while you were the APC National Chairman, you predicted that Kano State would return to the progressive fold. How do you feel now that your dream has come true?

I feel honoured, proud and happy. We welcome the newcomers with joy. We are now united, not just a mix of groups. Those who have joined us will be fully integrated and, over time, become a complete part of us.

I am also happy that when I was the governor, we gave Asiwaju (President Tinubu) the second-highest number of votes in the primaries. We had the highest number of delegates, and not a single delegate failed to vote for Asiwaju. During the general election, we defeated the PDP by more than 500,000 votes. We gave the PDP the widest margin.

We are now working with the governor to strengthen his policies, especially in areas such as infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, security, and the environment. Our dream has come true, and we need to build on it.

But this dream is currently being threatened. The leader of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, has threatened to take over the state from the APC. Are you not threatened?

Politicians are known for making a lot of noise, so we are waiting to see what happens. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is worried, and he should be. He is concerned, and that's understandable.

He wants to become president or vice president of the country. He tried to use the Kano State as a starting point.

Even when we were both in the APC, and I was governor, he left the party—not because we forced him out or had a major disagreement, but because he wanted to be vice president or president. He knew he couldn't get that in the APC with Muhammadu Buhari as president, so he joined the PDP to contest.

Unfortunately for him, Atiku defeated him, and he finished fourth in the primary.

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After that, he joined a smaller party, the NNPP, and ran for president but lost. Now he wants to use the state government as a launching pad again. But thankfully, the governor is wise and will not let that happen. That's why they are apart. If he says he will return, that's fine. We are waiting.

Are you now saying the Kwankwasiyya Movement is politically dead in Kano?

Yes, Kwankwasiyya is finished. We are burying it. In fact, we prepared its coffin a long time ago, and now we are glad that the time has come to use it.

The Kwankwasiyya Movement and even the governor have staged large rallies in Kano in recent times. Are you saying that in 2027, these crowds will have no impact on the NNPP?

The Kwankwasiyya Movement will not have any impact. Even though you see large crowds, the APC can gather even bigger ones if we choose to mobilise. The combined group of the split Kwankwasiyya and the APC is much larger than the divided Kwankwasiyya alone.

Kano politics is driven by positive sentiment. Right now, people believe Kwankwasiyya wants to use the Kano treasury for national ambitions. That is how people see it, and they are unwilling to support it. That is the main issue. People attend rallies for many reasons, but elections are different. What really matters is structure, acceptance, and what people truly want for their state.

A school of thought believes that you and the leader of Kwankwasiyya should reconcile. How possible is this? Will we see a day when Ganduje and Kwankwaso reconcile?

Yes, I am ready. Politics is about interests. There are no permanent enemies or friends. If Kwankwaso shares my political ideals, supports President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and believes in the Renewed Hope Agenda and reforms for the country's good, then I have no problem reconciling with him. The more, the merrier.

I am not the kind of politician who holds grudges or refuses to reconcile. What matters is what we want to achieve. We want progress for Kano State and Nigeria. If someone shares that vision, why shouldn't we reconcile? It's all about shared interests.

Today, the ADC, the major opposition party, is populated by northerners trying to protect the interests of one person. There is the fear that Northern Nigeria may not support President Tinubu in 2027. What is your comment on that?

That idea is wrong. By now, people in this country support the rotation of the presidency. We said it when Buhari was president: after him, it was the South's turn. The North agreed with this. In fact, Asiwaju got more votes from the North and became president. Now, many northerners hope Asiwaju finishes his term so the presidency can return to the North afterwards. That is what most of the people want. Only a few are asking for his term to end early so the North can take over again. But does that really make sense?

After Buhari's eight years, Asiwaju is now serving four years and wants another four. Many governors and groups support this. Even many Northerners agree that the South should complete its eight years before power returns to the North. Only disgruntled elements are making such moves. Politics will always have noise, but the reality on the ground is different.