The former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has expressed confidence that the party will defeat Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ganduje stated this in an interview with BBC News Hausa aired on Monday, where he described Kano as a critical political stronghold.
He said the APC would leverage its political strategy and the support of Abba Yusuf to secure victory.
“We can use our political strategy to defeat him now, especially since the Governor is on our side and that is the essence of politics,” he said.
On March 30, Kwankwaso joined the African Democratic Congress, aligning with key opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.
Ganduje described Kwankwaso as “a bird hopping from one tree to another,” adding that his political influence was declining.
“His political journey is coming to an end; he joined a major party filled with individuals who all want to contest for the Presidency. This internal ambition will be their downfall, as they are already fighting among themselves,” he said.
He also spoke on what he described as the growing strength of the APC at the national level.
“Look at our party: even governors are joining us. In the history of Nigerian politics, no party has ever held 32 state governors except ours. These governors are joining willingly because they are genuinely interested in the progress happening at the federal level,” he said.
Ganduje, a former governor of Kano State, also reflected on the 2023 governorship election in the state, which the APC lost to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
“We did not win the last election. We took the case to court, where two courts affirmed our victory, but the Supreme Court ultimately decided against us. We accepted that as God’s will,” he said.
He added that the party had begun rebuilding its structure in Kano by engaging stakeholders across political divides.
“We have not given up, and we are working to rebuild the APC and make it strong enough to win again,” he said.
“Fortunately, the governor is a reasonable thinker. He recognised the need to join the ruling party APC to be involved in national governance rather than operating only within Kano State.”
Ganduje also reacted to the resignation of Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna from the APC on the same day Kwankwaso joined the ADC.
He said Gawuna’s exit was not a betrayal and that there was no personal rift between them.
“Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna has not betrayed me, nor has he done anything wrong. Democracy is driven by personal interest, and he is simply pursuing his. We have never fought, and there are no personal issues between us,” he said.
Ganduje, however, suggested that Gawuna’s decision might be linked to the political situation in the state.
“Perhaps Gawuna felt he wouldn’t have a fair chance to contest since the governor would naturally seek re-election on the party ticket,” he said.
He dismissed claims of a strong alliance between Gawuna and Kwankwaso in the ADC.
“His decision to align with Kwankwaso is because their interests currently overlap. However, by God’s grace, they will not succeed in their plans,” he added.
