Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has said he is not ruling out reconciliation with Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Ganduje, a two‑term former governor of Kano State, made the remark during an interview with the BBC, stressing that his faith as a Muslim forbids permanent estrangement, even with political rivals.
As a Muslim, is there a person you would say you don’t want to be reconciled with? It’s politics. So we hope that in the future we can reconcile with him completely because we have been in politics together and we are brothers,” he said.
His comments come just days after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State defected from the NNPP to the APC, a move that reshaped the political landscape in the state.
Ganduje described Kwankwaso as a long‑time political associate, saying the two have shared the same arena of party politics for years.
There is no doubt about that. We are happy with this and we are excited. He (the governor) is also happy that he has come,” Ganduje stated.
He emphasised that political leadership posts are temporary, noting that the APC’s leadership hierarchy will be determined through internal elections from the ward level up to the national level by the end of February.
“When the time comes, we will see how every party has their people in it (represented in the composition),” he said.
Ganduje acknowledged past disagreements but suggested that the defection and current alignment signal a fresh start.
“Before we had our differences but now we are together. We have buried our differences. The task before us now is how to bring about the development of Kano State, achieving success in this party,” he said.
He framed success in Kano as a shared responsibility. He said, “If he succeeds, we succeed. If we succeed, he succeeds. If we fail, he fails. So whoever agrees with this. You see, we must help the government succeed because if it succeeds, we succeed.”
Addressing speculation about a purported 60 %–40 % power‑sharing arrangement, allegedly favouring the governor, Ganduje dismissed the claim.
“It is the national party that comes out with this kind of arrangement but until now we have anything of such. Received any written evidence of such arrangement?” he said, adding that nothing formal has been issued.
“Well, we did not recognise anything of such. We only knew that the government was done for the sake of the people so that progress could be achieved,” Ganduje said.
He suggested that any prior privileges Yusuf may have enjoyed in the NNPP could have been lost during the realignment but stressed this was not the APC’s doing.
“All we know is a government has been brought and a government that will work for the poor,” he stated resolutely.
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